11.03.2014 - 17:47
The Greens’ candidate to chair the European Commission in next May’s elections, Ska Keller, has made commitment to working for Catalonia’s right to self-determination. The German politician said on Monday in Barcelona that “the Greens defend radical democracy and in Catalonia there is a citizen demand in favor of a [self-determination] referendum”. “For this reason I want to make a personal commitment that, if I am elected Commission President, I will support Catalonia in allowing a consultation vote on its political future and its relationship with Spain”, promised the European Greens’ top candidate. Keller, who has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2009, urged the Spanish Government to launch a negotiation process to make this vote possible.
On Monday, in the headquarters of the Catalan Green Socialist Party ‘Iniciativa per Catalunya-Verds’ (ICV), Ska Keller offered a press conference alongside ICV’s main candidate in the next European Elections, Ernest Urtasun. In the next electoral call for the European Parliament, for the first time, parties have officially started presenting their candidates to chair the European Commission. In this vein, European Green parties including ICV, elected German Ska Keller as their candidate. At the Spanish level, Urtasun will be ICV’s main candidate, running in coalition with the United Left ‘Izquierda Unida’ (IU).
Ska Keller supported Catalonia’s right to self-determination and urged the Spanish Government to open a dialog to make it happen. “If I am elected President of the European Commission I will act to make this dialogue happen and to allow the referendum to take place. People should be allowed to vote,” she said.
Ernest Urtasun praised the “high value” of Keller’s words. “Keller’s commitment is the result of ICV’s hard work seeking allies outside Catalonia that can speak out for Catalonia’s right to self-determination,” he emphasized. Now “an important European political family such as the Greens are also in favor of the [self-determination] consultation vote,” said Urtasun.
