MADRID – Yolanda Díaz, Spain’s outgoing Deputy Prime Minister, is set to meet Carles Puigdemont, the former President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, in Brussels today.
The discussion is scheduled to take place in the Spinelli Hall of the European Parliament. It will include the presence of Toni Comín, a former minister and current Euro-MP, as well as Jaume Asens, the leader of Sumar in Catalonia.
Background
The meeting forms part of ongoing negotiations centred around the investiture of Pedro Sánchez, the Socialist leader, as the President of Spain. Intriguingly, the Spanish government was not informed of this meeting until the last minute. Sources at La Moncloa, the official residence of the Spanish Prime Minister, regard the meeting as a “fait accompli,”. However, they stress that Díaz is not representing the interests of the PSOE, the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party.
Complex political landscape
This gathering comes just a day before Puigdemont is slated to outline to the European Parliament the prerequisites for commencing investiture talks. His party, Junts, is calling for amnesty concerning issues linked to the Catalan independence movement, commonly referred to as ‘el procés.’
Pursuit of solutions
Sumar, the left-wing socialist political group led by Yolanda Díaz, considers this meeting a “new milestone in our unwavering commitment to usher in a new era founded on dialogue and democracy.” They assert that their ambition is to foster a decade of social and plurinational development.
Transparency and future goals
Sumar insists that the negotiations are fully transparent and conducted with “utmost respect for the citizenry.” They argue that social and territorial advancements should be intrinsically linked. This sentiment is echoed by Catalan separatists. Moreover, they have previously stipulated they would support Pedro Sánchez’s investiture in exchange for amnesty and self-determination.
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