A special session of the Catalan parliament is set to meet Tuesday, with the region’s secessionist leader reportedly considering a formal declaration of independence from Spain.
CNN reports that Catalan President Carles Puigdemont is expected to make a formal declaration at the specially convened session. At the same time, there are signs that he may not go through with the declaration, according to some experts: a huge rally against independence took place in Barcelona over the weekend, and the government of France said that it would not recognize an independent Catalonia, and that such independence would result in automatic expulsion from the European Union (EU).
Previously, the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, had said that, “If a referendum were to be organized in line with the Spanish Constitution it would mean that the territory leaving would find itself outside of the European Union.”
The session follows last weekend’s controversial referendum on independence, which erupted into violence when a police crackdown on the voting injured 844 people, according to the Catalan government. The move prompted widespread condemnation of the police’s tactics to stop the vote, which the Catalan authorities had called despite it being ruled illegal by the courts.
“Turisme de Barcelona wholeheartedly condemns the scenes of violence that took place in Barcelona and other parts of Catalonia on the occasion of the referendum,” the city’s official tourism bureau wrote at the time. “The acts that affected the civic spirit on the day of the election are unacceptable in a democratic and advanced society in the European Union.”
American Airlines is allowing customers flying through October 13 to rebook through October 16 between the same city pair in the same cabin. Air Canada will allow customers scheduled to fly through October 13 to change their flight date through December 2, subject to availability in the originally purchased cabin. Guests can also travel to an alternate destination, but any fare difference will apply.
The Washington Post reports that Spain’s King Felipe VI has said that he is not willing to negotiate under the threat of a unilateral declaration, which could mean that the Spanish government is ready to invoke Article 155 of the country’s Constitution, which allows it to take over the functions of a regional government if that government violates the Constitution.
According to CNBC, a number of multinational corporations have announced plans to relocated out of Catalonia as a result of the crisis.
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