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Politics

Catalan Parliament rejects a “unilateral” self-determination referendum

November 7, 2013 10:02 PM | ACN

The Parliament of Catalonia rejected a proposal to call for a “unilateral” self-determination referendum in the event that the Spanish State “blocked” the possibility of organising a vote by agreement. The motion was rejected with the votes of the Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition (CiU) – which runs the Catalan Government – and the three parties defending the unity of Spain: the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC), the People’s Party (PP) – which runs the Spanish Government, and the anti-Catalan nationalism and populist party Ciutadans (C’s). The motion supporting the idea of calling for a self-determination referendum in “a unilateral way” had been presented by the radical left-wing and independence party CUP, which has only 3 MPs in the 135-seat chamber. However it was also backed by the second-largest group, the Left-Wing Catalan Independence Party (ERC) and some of the MPs from the Catalan Green Socialist and Communist Coalition (ICV-EUiA).

Politics

Catalan demands of a referendum and the EU role, centre of debate at the UCL

October 26, 2013 01:33 PM | ACN

The University College London and the Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia conference on “Self-Determination Processes in the EU” was attended by more than 100 people. Scholars and public figures discussed the Catalan and the Scottish cases in relation to the EU. Honorary Director-General of the European Commission and Oxford Professor Graham Avery stated that the EU “should not get in the way of the people in deciding their future” but he admitted the situation in Catalonia was “less clear” than in Scotland. Professor Emeritus at the University of Edinburgh David Edward said it all depended on Madrid’s decision to accept or to reject the outcome of a referendum.

Politics

The Spanish socialists offer a constitutional reform to Mas but reject a referendum on independence

October 26, 2013 01:12 PM | ACN

At a meeting with Catalan President Artur Mas, the Spanish socialist party (PSOE) leader Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba offered support for constitutional reform in Spain, but rejected the idea of a referendum on independence. Mas said that the legal framework cannot be used to “abort” the plans for an independence referendum. He added that it is an “enormous” mistake to think that. Rubalcaba said that the constitutional reform offer is an alternative “to a vote for separation”.