How Puchdemon outplayed Madrid

He was helped by the Belgian judicial system

The leaders of the inverted Catalan government continue to fight in the European arena, being under the umbrella of Belgian justice, and even, perhaps, replay Madrid in the "Sympathy competition"

In Brussels, the dismissed head of the Catalan Zeneralitat Carles Puchdemon essentially began a campaign for elections to the regional parliament. She was facilitated by the plots of news programs of television, which showed the eight members of Zheeneralitat arrested in Spain, proudly going to prison under welcoming applause of sympathetic Catalans. They face up to 30 years of conclusion for separatism.

On Saturday, Puchdemona could be seen in the Christmas market in the center of Brussels, where he talked with a multinational public, including his compatriots, at retaliatory flags. It is not known about any meetings with officials.

On Friday, it became known about the issuance by the Madrid court of the European order to arrest Puchdemon and four other members of the regional government who fled to Belgium, and on Sunday he and his comrades voluntarily surrendered to Belgian justice. They remained in the position of the detainees for ten hours, after which they were released with minimal restrictions, in fact, under the subscription of a lower leave from Belgium.

Puchdemon chose Brussels in the “search for truth”, because “this is the capital of Europe” and in the hope of the authority of the Belgian judicial system. From here it will not be given to anyone without a proper judicial procedure.

EU institutes in Brussels did not help Pubuchdemone in any way. The official representative of the European Commission at daily briefings answers questions about Catalonia the same way: the EU does not see the role in the crisis between Madrid and Barcelona, ​​this is the internal case of Spain and should be decided through dialogue on the basis of the Spanish constitution.

The Puchdemone failed to break the EU Omert, but the political elite of Belgium could not resist. In the sense of separatism, this is one of the most problematic countries in Europe. From the decay, it was kept only by a strong democratic system with a clear separation of powers, the minimum role of the central government and the liberal model of the economy. No matter how strong the sepertist winds were, they did not bring to the collapse of the country.

The Nationalist Flemish Alliance nationalist party, which dreams of the independent Flanders in the future, but is now the largest batch of the ruling coalition of the whole of Belgium, and therefore does not require separation, openly sympathizes with the Catalans. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs of Belgium Yan Yambon questioned the proportionality of Madrid's actions against the chosen representatives of Catalonia. His same party, the Minister of Migration Theo Theo Frankin, did not exclude the possibility of political refuge Puchdemon, and the party chairman, the burgomaster of Antwerp Bart De Vaver, and at all attracted the “historical memory” arguments in modern Europe: he reminded of the “Spanish rabies” on November 4, 1576, when the troops of King Philip II killed 10 thousand inhabitants of his city, his city. rebels against the Spanish power. Belgian nationalists simply compared the Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy with the dictator Franco.

Even the socialists and liberals who do not approve of separatism came to defense of the Catalan fugitives. The leader of the socialists, the former Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Ruopo, is perplexed why Raha puts in prison for political beliefs.

Another former Belgian prime minister, the leader of the liberals in the European Parliament Guy Verkhofstadt, called Madrid’s decision to imprison the Catalan ministers in prison, and even on monstrous deadlines.

The skirmish between Belgian and Spanish politicians has already created tension between them. The EU is still silent.

The European arrest mandate, approved by the heads of state and governments of the EU countries in 2004, resolves the issue of issuing exclusively to the judicial authorities of the two countries of the Union without the intervention and influence of political power.

There are two weeks at the disposal of Belgian judges to accept or reject Spain’s request for Extence Puchdemon and Company. To reject is a scandal. The Catalan five has the right to appeal the court decision within 60 days and even 90 days in exceptional cases.

The issuance process will be delayed further than the elections in Catalonia on December 21. While Puchdemon is not convicted, he has the right to conduct a political campaign and exhibit his candidacy. In an interview with Belgian television, he stated that he was ready to put it up.

He and his associates want to turn the elections into a new referendum on the independence of Catalonia. But it is unlikely that we will talk about something more than about their personal fate and the expansion of the autonomy of the region.

Of the La Vanguardia, published on Sunday and Monday, the survey results in the Catalan newspaper, it follows that about 80%is expected to turn into the elections. But not everyone will vote for separation from Spain. The main separatist party - the left Republicans of Catalonia (ERC) - will take first place, the second will be the liberal civilian party (Ciudadanos), which is against the department. Having united in the block, separatist parties will receive two votes less than the absolute majority.

Only one of the seven respondents thinks that the confrontation between Barcelona and Madrid will end with the independence of Catalonia. But more than two thirds believe that it will damage the economy. This confirms the growing number of companies translating legal addresses from Catalonia. Since October 1 there are already more than 2000.

Brussels