Catalonian referendum looming / Catalonia and Madrid head for confrontation

Background
The Catalan government on the 28 August 2017 presented a bill for Catalonia's transition to independence. According to the plan the bill would come into effect if a majority voted for secession from Spain in a referendum to be held on 1 October 2017. Madrid had already declared the referendum illegal.

An important stage was reached on the 6 September 2017 when the Catalan parliament passed the fast-tracked bill providing the framework for the referendum to be held on the 1 October 2017 and the Catalan government signed the decree.

The Spanish government started the process to ask the Spanish Constitutional Court to ban the vote. Spain's constitutional court suspended the referendum law on the 7 September 2017.

The Local.es and other news sources reported on the 12 September 2017 that hundreds of thousands of Catalans rallied in Barcelona on their national day to demand their region's secession from Spain, in a show of strength three weeks ahead of the independence referendum.

For many years La Diada Nacional de Catalunya had been a powerful focus for the independence campaign in Catalonia.

For the full historical background to the issue of Catalan independence click here.

Euro|Topics
The Debates feature from Euro|Topics offers English (+ French and German) translations of a selections of articles in European news sources on this topic.

Euro|Topics relaunched their website during 2016. Features published before that date are still available via an archive website (see related url hyperlinks).Throughout September 2017, the Catalan Government and pro-independence supporters pressed ahead with plans to hold their independence referendum on 1 October 2017, while the central government in Madrid was doing everything in its power to prevent the vote. The police blocked the regional government's website on the referendum on the 12 September 2017 and the public prosecutors summoned several hundred mayors who backed the referendum.

Commentators asked where Catalonia and Spain on course for a head-on collision? For a legal perspective see here.

BBC News, 15.09.17: Catalonia referendum: Spanish state poised to seize Catalan finances http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41284764

Catalan News, 16.09.17: More than 700 Catalan mayors protest Spain's backlash http://www.catalannews.com/politics/item/more-than-700-catalan-mayors-protest-spain-s-backlash

Deutsche Welle, 15.09.17: Catalan leaders seek dialogue with Madrid as separatist referendum looms http://p.dw.com/p/2k53V

http://archiv.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/aktuell.html http://archiv.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/aktuell.html

El País, 15.09.17: Catalonia’s bid for independence: how did we get here? https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/09/15/inenglish/1505468912_544618.html

ESO: Key Source: Catalan independence referendum, 2017 http://www.europeansources.info/record/catalan-independence-referendum-2017/

The Guardian, 17.09.17: Catalonia divided as controversial poll on independence sparks conflict with Madrid https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/16/catalonia-collision-course-with-spain-independence-vote

Catalan News, 17.09.17: Spain’s Attorney General says he would consider arresting Catalan president http://www.catalannews.com/politics/item/spain-s-attorney-general-says-he-would-consider-arresting-catalan-president

El País, 18.09.17: Ahead of planned Catalan poll, Socialists side with government https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/09/18/inenglish/1505727705_473287.html

El País, 18.09.17: Alarmed by foreign coverage of Catalan referendum, Spain steps up communication campaign https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/09/18/inenglish/1505721046_162413.html

The New York Times, 08.09.17: Catalonia Independence Bid Pushes Spain Toward Crisis https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/08/world/europe/spain-catalonia-independence.html?mcubz=3

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