France would not recognise independent Catalonia

Minister warns new nation would find itself shunned by Brussels and expelled automatically from the EU

FRANCE will not recognise Catalonia if its government unilaterally declares independence from Spain, Nathalie Loiseau, the French minister for European affairs, warned yesterday, as nerves grew over a likely proclamation in the coming days.

“If there were to be a declaration of independence, it would be unilateral, and it would not be recognised,” Ms Loiseau said on Cnews television, calling for dialogue to resolve the crisis.

The minister also reiterated warnings that a Catalan Republic would find itself shunned by Brussels.

“If independence were to be recognised – which is not something that’s being discussed – the most immediate consequence would be that (Catalonia) automatically left the European Union,” she said.

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, had already made his position clear in the wake of the Oct 1 referendum – held in defiance of a ban by Spain’s constitutional court – in a telephone conversation with Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister, in which he expressed firm support for the “constitutional unity” of Spain.

The French position chimes with that of the European Commission, which has consistently thrown its weight behind the Spanish government. But it has come under pressure from many MEPS, shocked at the violent crackdown by Spanish police on the day of the referendum.

Yesterday, the Council of Europe joined the United Nations in calling for an independent investigation into the violence, which left up to 900 people injured. In a letter to Spain’s interior minister, sent on Oct 4 and now made public, Nils Muižnieks, the council’s commissioner, expressed “concerns regarding allegations of disproportionate use of force by law enforcement authorities in Catalonia”, including reports of “improper” use of rubber bullets against voters.

But the call was rebuffed by Spanish authorities, who instead focused on thwarting any independence move.

Carles Puigdemont, the Catalan president, is due to appear in the parliament at 6pm (5pm BST) today to formally present the results of the Oct 1 vote, and many in the independence movement hope he will make the declaration then. Neighbourhood “referendum defence committees” – residents’ groups initially formed to protect the Oct 1 vote – plan to descend on the parliament in a bid to guard it against any attempts to halt the session.

But the Catalan leadership refuses to be drawn on the precise timing.

A spokesman told The Daily Telegraph that it would come in accordance with the timetable laid down by the referendum law, which states the proclamation will come 48 hours after the results are introduced.