Catalan will remain unofficial in Europe

The official status of Catalan will have to wait. Despite President Pedro Sánchez's government's diplomatic offensive in recent days, the initiative hasn't obtained the required support to move forward. Faced with reservations from several countries, such as Germany or Italy, member states have decided to postpone the decision for the second time.

This new fiasco shows President Pedro Sánchez's government's weakness in Europe. It further strains the relationship between the Spanish executive and its priority partner, Junts. Now, it remains to be seen what the consequences of this new fiasco from the left and the separatism movement will be.

Junts invested President Pedro Sánchez in exchange for amnesty and the official status of Catalan in the EU. Eighteen months later, there is neither amnesty nor official status for Catalan. This further weakens President Pedro Sánchez's government, but especially Carles Puigdemont, who adds a new failure amid Junts's collapse in the polls.

more doubts than enthusiasm 

Member states postponed the first vote in March 2019 due to concerns, mainly at the financial level. The government, pressed by Junts, recently reactivated its diplomacy to try again. However, unable to achieve the necessary consensus, the Spanish executive has accepted the countries' request to postpone the decision again.

The government wanted to convey a message of optimism and has promised that they will keep working to convince the reluctant countries. Meanwhile, the separatist supporters blame PP and Vox for carrying out an offensive against Catalan in Europe.

The presidency of the European Council has announced the postponement after several countries once again expressed their financial and legal doubts. Things started to go wrong when Finland and Germany showed their reservations.

"I hope we don't have to vote today because the issue isn't ready," said Finnish minister Joakim Strand. His warnings about the legality of the measure triggered a chain reaction in countries such as Sweden and Austria. However, the final blow came from Germany and Italy, which threatened to vote against if the vote went ahead.

new diplomatic failure

The government had introduced changes compared to the first proposal, but it hasn't been enough to convince the dissenters. In fact, although PSOE appears optimistic, they are still far from the unanimity required to approve it.

The government now has the opportunity to keep working to approve the measure, but this second setback seriously erodes its credibility. It also opens a new political battle in Spain on several fronts.

As soon as the decision became known, PSOE blamed PP and Vox for having boycotted the vote against Spain's interests. Relations between the government and Junts are also further deteriorating, as Junts has once again warned of the consequences. Puigdemont is especially affected, since his alliance strategy with PSOE has been a complete failure.