Belgian prime minister calls for ‘international mediation’ if dialogue between Catalonia and Spain fails

The Belgian prime minister, Charles Michel, proposed an “international and European mediation” if dialogue between the Catalan and the Spanish governments definitively fails. In an interview with the Belgian newspaper Le Soir, Michel said that the Catalan crisis tests the European Union due to “fundamental issues such as freedom of vote and freedom of expression.” Michel stated that the Catalan question is an “institutional and political crisis”.

Michel stressed that “there is no legal crisis in Spain, there is a political crisis” and added that the “political crisis must be resolved through political dialogue”. The Belgian prime minister also deplored that, so far, there has been a “dialogue of the deaf” between Catalonia and Spain and called for a “time out” to open new talks.

Indeed, the Belgian prime minister was the first European leader to reject police violence during the October 1 referendum. Via Twitter, Michel said that “violence can never be the answer” and called for “dialogue”. He explained that he wrote the tweet because he couldn’t understand the fact that there was no a reaction from the European Union.  “I expressed myself with spontaneity and conviction, and I take full responsibility for doing so,” he added. The Belgian prime minister also highlighted that “many European colleagues” thanked him for his tweet.

Paris mayor, asked to mediate
The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, stated in a TV interview that “someone” had proposed her as a mediator between the Catalan and the Spanish governments, without specifying where the proposal came from. Hidalgo said that she believes that “there are several mediation offers on the table” and stressed that ” dialogue is needed to overcome the current stalled situation”.

In addition, the mayor of Paris stated that “all organizations that can help” to overcome the current deadlock “should do so” because “the violence has been very shocking”. Hidalgo highlighted that Catalonia has its own language and stated that “perhaps a constitutional reform is necessary”. Finally, the mayor of Paris concluded that Catalan independence is neither good for Catalonia nor for Spain.