Puigdemont back in Brussels…with more legitimacy?
Back in Waterloo after a conference in Finland, and especially after a long-term arrest in Germany, Carles Puigdemont, the former President of Catalonia, declared during his last press conference at the Catalonia’s representation office in Brussels that, « It was not an easy trip, nor a short trip, nor the trip I was expecting, but I’m at least back on Catalan soil ».
Welcomed in Brussels by the current Catalan leader, Quim Torra, the latter believes that, « Today is a defeat for the Spanish State. Spain has lost the European legal battle. » How many defeats will the Spanish State need to understand that this political problem needs a political solution? The two men now want a European response, and they will lead a strategy of internationalization of the situation. The presence of Carles Puigdemont in the European capital is in this sense an advantage, they said. « It’s not the end of the trip. I will travel to the last corner of our continent to defend the just cause of the Catalan people, » said Mr. Puigdemont.
A few weeks before the communal elections (October 14th) and a few months before the Belgian regional and federal elections (May 26th, 2019), Puigdemont also recalled that his presence in Brussels, « had nothing to do with Belgian politics ». « We do not want to interfere in Belgian politics and have a lot of respect for the political reality of the country. »
Puigdemont has declared that he is a free European, everywhere except in Spain. He does not want to rely on European leaders but on the citizens of the Union. He added that, « Europe is not only an institution made up of States, politicians and European leaders. It is an institution full of European citizens. I am sure that the majority of the public believes that the fundamental values of democracy are of paramount importance. »
He was again optimistic about the new Spanish government led by Socialist Pedro Sanchez. « A dialogue has started. And that is completely new. » Wouldn’t this road trip, which began in Finland, be the beginning of a legitimacy found for Puigdemont ? Only the future will tell.
