The president of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, writes in the Guardian that “a de facto state of emergency” has ended Catalan home rule just weeks ahead of a planned referendum on independence. If nothing is done to work towards a compromise, a political train wreck threatens in the EU’s largest southern member state. Their victory there caused a reaction: the Catalan political leadership shifted towards separatism. In Brussels, officials have made clear that a unilateral declaration of Catalan independence would mean an exit from the European Union – with no obvious path back in. But for any mediation to succeed, both Madrid and Barcelona have to step back from the brink.

Source: The Guardian September 21, 2017 18:45 UTC