The German judiciary will now decide whether or not to extradite the former Catalan president to face trial in Spain for rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds. These developments have underlined the Spanish government’s refusal to engage politically with the Catalan problem, instead passing the responsibility for the crisis to the courts. With Puigdemont’s fate now in the hands of a German judge, the stakes have been raised for both sides. The independence movement has been obsessed in recent months with gaining the support of the international community and, in particular, the European Union. Both the Spanish government and the independence camp want a new regional president in place.

Source: The Irish Times March 26, 2018 19:41 UTC