Brussels warns Catalonia: “If you leave Spain you leave the EU”

5th October 2017 Newsroom Europe 0

The Express — More than two million Catalan voters braved police brutality, which left over 800 injured, to choose independence for Catalonia in Sunday’s disputed referendum, according to Catalan authorities.
But the EU, as well as Spain’s central government, has condemned the vote as illegal and unconstitutional and are refusing to acknowledge the result.

In a last-ditch attempt to bring Catalonia back under control European Union officials have warned quitting Spain would also mean quitting the bloc. 

Today a spokesman for the European People’s Party, the largest party in the European Parliament, said Catalonia needed to acknowledge the “truth”.

He said: “Someone needs to tell the Catalan people the truth. If you contest the law to abandon Spain you also need to know that you abandon the EU.”

A spokeswoman for the Socialists and Democrats Party said the Spanish constitution needed to be recognised and respected.

She said: “The European Parliament as representative of all European people is calling all parties to sit down and work together for a peaceful and responsible solution, in the framework of the Spanish constitution.”

 

Om Wednesday  the EU executive called for the Spanish Government and Catalan authorities to open dialogue to defuse the sometimes violent confrontation over calls for Catalonia’s independence.

European Commission’s First Vice President Frans Timmermans said: “It’s time to talk”.

But he warned: “The constitutions of all our member states must be respected.”

Concerns are growing for the EU as Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy struggles to secure support from across the political divide in his battle to stop Catalonia breaking away.

The lack of consensus could compound Spain’s worst political crisis for decades with Mr Rajoy now mulling the unprecedented step of invoking the constitution to dissolve the Catalan parliament and trigger regional elections.

Catalonia government announce that it is ready to “implement the decision of the people” on Monday.

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