The success of separatist parties at regional elections in Catalonia on Thursday (21 December) does not change the EU’s stance on the region’s conflict with Spain.
“Our position on the question of Catalonia is well known and has been regularly restated, at all levels. It will not change,” EU Commission spokesman Alexander Winterstein said, according to news agency AFP.
“In relation to a regional election, we have no comment to make,” he added.
Pro-separatist parties gained a majority of seats at Thursday’s election, although anti-separatist party Ciutadans (Citizens) actually came out of the vote as the largest party.
With 99.89 percent of the votes counted, the three pro-independence parties Junts per Catalunya list (JxCat, Together for Catalonia), Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), and the Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP), acquired a majority of 70 seats in the 135-seat regional chamber.
JxCat of the self-exiled former Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont received 34 seats, just ahead of ERC, which won 32 seats.
In the previous elections, JxCat and ERC ran as an alliance, and won 62 seats – four less than they now did separately.
