PES president Sergei Stanishev commented on the situation in Catalonia:
“By calling an illegal referendum, Catalonian nationalists have tried to bend the rule of law to their advantage. By hiding behind the police and the judiciary, the Spanish government is stretching Spain’s institutions, giving up on politics and feeding extremist positions on both camps.
“PSOE and PSC have wisely warned both governments that dialogue and negotiation is the only way to get out of this crisis. We fully support their demand for negotiations in the framework of the Parliamentary Committee for the study of the territorial reform, recently approved in the Spanish Congress thanks to the initiative of the PSOE-PSC.
“This shameful day of violence won’t be forgotten but the wounds left can be healed through a political process respectful of the constitution and democratic values.”
