“If we have to delay the official status of Catalan, let it not be to dilute it”

The Catalan will play one of his most important matches next Tuesday: the vote for his official status in the European Union. A match that will not be easy at all, because it needs the unanimity of the 27 countries that make up the Council of the EU and some have already expressed their reservations. Faced with the possibility of postponing the decision, or of seeking some consensus formula, the Foreign Minister, Meritxell Serret (Vallfogona de Balaguer, 1975), advises the Government that they will not accept a “reduction” of the proposal and asks it to Do your best to get it approved.

Why is it important that Catalan is official in the EU?

It is a democratic anomaly that Catalan does not have this official status in the European Union. It is a claim from 20 years ago. It is a question of rights and to reinforce the European project and the legitimacy of the institutions for Catalan speakers.

For it to move forward, unanimity is needed, but several countries have already expressed reluctance. One of them is the economic cost.

The officialdom of Catalan cannot be subordinated to economic issues, and even less so when they have a minor impact. According to the 2022 budget of the European Union, expenses on translations amounted to 0.2 percent, which is about 80 cents per inhabitant. This cannot be an argument. Catalan speakers are European citizens who contribute to all duties and obligations.

The Government has offered to pay for it, but this has not dispelled some doubts: such as opening up the entry of many more languages ​​- in Europe there are more than 60 – or further slowing down the entire European legislative machinery.

Catalan is a very structured language and there is a lot of work done at an academic and terminological level. We have many resources to make available and this transition of incorporating Catalan will be as quick as possible. Furthermore, there are only five languages ​​recognized as official by the states and that do not have this official status in Europe, which is what the regulations say. And among these five are Catalan, Basque and Galician.

If you don’t see technical problems, what do you attribute these reluctance to? To ideology?

There may be reluctance due to ideological positions. Surely the PP is mobilizing so that there are voices that can stop it.

All of this could lead to the decision being postponed next Tuesday.

The objective of the Generalitat is for it to come to fruition, we want it to move forward. The sooner the better, obviously. I don’t know if it should be delayed or not. But we are talking about the recognition of a right and what we do not want is for the proposal to be lowered. If it is necessary to delay, never do so to dilute or reduce the proposal that is on the table. We demand that the Spanish Government do everything to ensure that it is approved.

Do you think he doesn’t do the most?

I want to be cautious, because we are interested in it moving forward. We demand that the Spanish Government take all the necessary steps, and we also recognize this first step of putting it on the Council table.

And what role does the Government play here?

Make it possible for obstacles to be overcome, for doubts to be resolved and for the proposal to come to fruition and be approved. We have deployed all our relational capacity to the maximum, we have established contacts with different European countries and governments. But here I will be discreet. The important thing is that it is approved and comes to fruition. And the Government is also fully prepared and available to support the European institutions when it comes to implementing Catalan and making it a reality.

Have they gone hand in hand with the Spanish Government when carrying out this diplomacy?

Each one has their role. The one who leads and who has put the proposal on the table is the Spanish government. And that’s who we ask and demand to do everything possible to get it approved. We, with the aim of making the proposal bear fruit, not to supplant or introduce errors, are doing this task of seeking support.

Some countries see Sánchez’s opportunism – due to the investiture negotiations – and do not understand the rush.

Obviously, it comes out of a margin of negotiation within the framework of the investiture, but we are talking about rights. We are not asking the Council of the EU to decide who has to govern the Spanish state. It would be a bit undemocratic to deny the right of Catalan speakers to have their language officially recognized in the EU due to ideological or strictly economic considerations, or due to internal fears or fears that it might bother someone.

The proposal was an agreement at the dialogue table more than a year ago. However, until the negotiation of the Congress Board with Junts, the Government did not make the formal request. Did Junts inform you that they had made this request?

I don’t think I’m revealing anything. There was no coordination in the negotiations between ERC and Junts. The fact is that it is now on the table. Would we have wanted it to happen sooner? Obviously yes, but it has happened now. The negotiation is at the level of parliamentary groups. As a Government, I prefer not to enter.

In these negotiations, an amnesty law has also been put on the table. You would be one of the beneficiaries, since they have a conviction pending from the Supreme Court. Do you trust that it will be approved?

This amnesty is essential, ending repression. Understanding it as a starting point. We must remove the political conflict from the courts and achieve a certain equality of conditions, to advance the political and democratic solution to the conflict, which involves recognizing the right to self-determination. We must maintain and reinforce this negotiation table that already exists between governments and that must continue to definitively resolve the political conflict. And also for the well-being of citizens, advance tax justice and the transfer of Rodalies.

Is the commitment to approve the amnesty enough or does it have to be approved before the inauguration?

This issue is being negotiated and I will not enter. We take it very seriously and we want it to come to fruition. The sooner we have the amnesty, the better. Everything we can do today, we will not leave for tomorrow.

Doesn’t it have to be a ‘sine qua non’ condition for the investiture that it be approved beforehand?

I’m not in a negotiation and the last thing I want to do is interfere. This path of negotiation, which ERC began, has cost us a lot, and we understand the amnesty as the evolution of the work of these years. The amnesty is an important, necessary step that we want to make a reality. Now there is the opportunity, we will work rigorously to make it so.

PP, Cs and Vox have started a campaign against this amnesty, and SCC has called a demonstration on October 8 against this amnesty.

Unfortunately, it’s déjà vu. We also saw it with the Statute. Really, it is going against democracy itself. Sovereignty belongs to the citizens and is expressed through elections and their representatives to the legislature, which is where this amnesty law must be approved. The system is imperfect and we are the first to denounce some violations, but what we will not do is accept certain expressions that, precisely, are going to attack the division of powers and ignore the legislature.