This article by Ian Bell was originally published in the Herald Scotland on December 14th, 2013. To read the full article please click here. A few excerpts: "... British Unionists might certainly wonder about the tactics being pursued by Mr Rajoy. Why does he not attempt his own version of Better Together? Why does he not seek to court those nationalists amenable to a deal on autonomy? Threatening Catalonia with expulsion from the EU - one of Mr Rajoy's familiar tricks - is no more likely to win hearts and minds than the refusal even to recognise a people's right to vote. [+]

The following article is a translation of an article by Carles Boix, a professor at Princeton University (USA), published in the Catalan daily Ara on December 15th 2013. The original article in Catalan can be consulted here. In an interview published jointly by six major European newspapers on Monday, the Prime Minister of Spain stated emphatically that "I do not want, but am also unable to... authorize a referendum [in Catalonia] for the simple reason that national sovereignity corresponds to the Spanish people". [+]

Publié le lundi 18 novembre 2013 par myeurop. 10 millions: c'est le nombre d'Espagnols qui parlent le catalan. Jamais cette langue régionale n'avait été aussi répandue. On parle catalan, non seulement en Catalogne, mais aussi aux Iles Baléares et même dans la région de Valence. Le catalan a franchi, en 2012, le seuil des dix millions de locuteurs: c'est l'une des annonces clés d'un récent rapport sur la situation de la langue catalane. [+]

Par Béatrice Riand. Publié dans Mediapart le 5 décembre 2013.  Cher Darius et consorts, Certes, vous êtes quotidiennement noyés sous une masse d’informations régionales, nationales, internationales, voire intersidérales. Certes, les fusils de par le monde ne cessent désespérément de se charger, se recharger, se décharger. Certes, vous relayez légitimement le drame syrien, la colère thaïlandaise, le cirque iranien, l’ire ukrainienne et le conflit israléo-palestinien. [+]

François Musseau, envoyé spécial à Sant Vicenç dels Horts et Barcelone. Publié dans La Libération le 4 décembre 2013.  GRAND ANGLE A Sant Vicenç dels Horts, près de Barcelone, on vit déjà bien loin de Madrid. Dans toute la région, à la faveur de la crise, l’indépendantisme gagne du terrain. La flamme a une allure olympique. L’urne métallique qui lui sert de support a été placée en surplomb des regards, comme si elle trônait, devant les balcons de la mairie pavoisés d’une longue senyera, le drapeau catalan sang et or. [+]

Depuis 2009, Col·lectiu Emma analyse les informations parues dans la presse internationale et traitant de la Catalogne. Ce réseau de citoyens a accordé d’emblée une grande importance aux articles parus dans la presse anglo-saxonne. Il nous apparaît aujourd’hui nécessaire d’enrichir cette approche en offrant la possibilité de suivre la presse francophone de façon plus complète. L’accélération des événements en Catalogne depuis un an a en effet conduit la presse française et francophone à couvrir la situation de la Catalogne avec plus d’exhaustivité. [+]

We highly recommend the article Franco's Legacy Rattles Spain by Matt Moffett and David Roman published in the Wall Street Journal on December 1st 2013. Some excerpts: In 1977, Spain's parliament passed an amnesty law that protected officials of the dictatorship and those involved in Civil War-era crimes, including supporters of anti-Franco forces, from prosecution. Since then, many Spaniards who were sympathetic to Franco were absorbed into the conservative PP, and began to embrace more-centrist positions. [+]

(Recommended article from the Catalan News Agency)

Barcelona (ACN).- According to a poll from the Catalan Centre for Polling (CEO) released on Friday, 54.7% of Catalans would vote “yes” to independence while 22.1% would vote “no” and 15.7% are undecided. The ‘Centre d’Estudis d’Opinió’ (CEO) is a body managed by the Catalan Government. The CEO poll shows similar percentages than the other polls issued in the last few months from several different institutions and companies. Percentages do not register significant variations over the last year, oscillating between 52% to 57% for independence, and 21% to 24% for the “no” option. According to the CEO, this would show the maturity of the independence debate in Catalonia. On top of this, if abstention was not taken into consideration and only cast votes were considered, the “yes” option would win a hypothetical referendum with a percentage around 70%.

Furthermore, this Friday’s poll indicates that for the first time, independence is the clear preferred alternative among the possible formulas for the relationship between Catalonia and Spain. Independence would be the preferred scenario for 48.5% of Catalans, while those in favour of a federal Spain with Catalonia having greater powers represent 21.3% of the interviewees. Finally, the Catalans that prefer maintaining the current status quo would be 18.6% and 5.4% would like Catalonia to be a mere region within a centralised Spain. In the last year, the percentage of Catalans choosing independence as their main option has passed from 34.5% to 48.5%, which is the highest percentage ever.

The CEO Director, Jordi Argelaguet, stated that the percentages are only indicative at this stage, since an independence referendum has not been called yet and the exact question has yet to be announced. According to him, if these two factors were set, the results from such a poll would be even more indicative. However, he stated that he does not think that it would lead to a radical change in the trends shown by the poll. [+]

Segnaliamo un breve comunicato stampa apparso in Italia il 16 novembre 2013. Riporta la notizia di una riunione abbastanza normale fra comuni gemellati, con la differenza che stavolta i comuni italiani si incontrano non con gli omologhi spagnoli ma solo con quelli catalani. Questo fatto è interessante per due motivi, il primo è che l’Associacione dei Comuni Italiani (ANCI), riconosce la Catalogna come diversa dalla Spagna; Il secondo, forse più importante, è che i delegati dei due paesi hanno sicuramente stretto dei rapporti di amicizia e collaborazione che facilitano la comprensione della questione catalana, e questo può essere un punto di forza molto efficace per cercare complicità in Italia, un paese normalmente molto prevenuto verso la Catalogna. [+]

Volem recomanar la confererència del corresponsal neerlandès Lex Rietman "Com independitzar-se d'Espanya? El cas d'Holanda", organitzada per l'Escola Oficial d'Idiomes de Barcelona, el proper 20 de novembre. 
 Més informació clickant aquí Lex Rietman és corresponsal a Espanya des de 1996 per a diversos mitjans neerlandesos i belgues de referència (Het financieele Dagblad, De Tijd, la radio i la televisió pública…) Conferència Activitat en castellà Oberta al públic en general Organtiza: Departament de Neerlandès Dimecres, 20 de novembre de 2013
 A les 19. [+]