Press conference by President of the Government following extraordinary meeting of Council of Ministers

Madrid

President of the Government.- Ladies and gentlemen, a very good day to you and thank you very much for attending this briefing.

Since the presentation by two political groups of a Proposed Resolution to the Regional Parliament of Catalonia on 27 October to form an independent Republic of Catalonia, I have periodically reported to the various main political forces, and to Spanish society as a whole, on the government's actions in light of this breakaway challenge.

Along these very lines, I appear here before you to inform you that this morning I called an extraordinary Council of Ministers to agree to challenge the Resolution before the Constitutional Court that you are aware was approved on Monday by the Regional Parliament of Catalonia.

We have done so after reviewing the mandatory report from the Council of State, which considers that the Resolution is a "clear violation" of the core essence of the Spanish Constitution, and also represents "a declaration of rebellion against the State institutions".

The Council of State also stated that the initiative of the Regional Parliament of Catalonia "rejects the constitutional order as a whole", and adds something very significant which is that it seeks to forget that "all executive decisions are, without exception, subject to our Constitution, without which public power would not exist - nor can exist - (...) free spaces or areas that are immune to this".

What I have just expressed is not a judgement value, nor even an opinion of this government, which you, in turn, are well aware of. This is the criteria of the leading State advisory body.

Hence, we are talking about the essence of our democracy, respect for popular sovereignty and the unity of the nation. That is what some intend to place in jeopardy and that is what this government is going to firmly defend: the greatest achievement of the people of Spain, our democratic State and rule of law, which embodies the sovereignty of the entire Spanish people and the unity of the Spanish nation.

That is what some seek to achieve, through a parliamentary resolution, to violate our Constitution, to breach their own Statute of Autonomy and question the very integrity of Spain, those who, by seizing a constituent power that does not correspond to them, also seek to attribute national sovereignty to themselves; sovereignty that belongs to all of the people of Spain and to them alone; a sovereignty that cannot be divided or fractured and which is the very expression of the unity of Spain, of the very configuration of our country as a nation of free and equal citizens.

Our rule of law protects and binds all citizens, but it especially concerns the public authorities and governments because, on the one hand, they are guarantors but, on the other, they are the first ones subject to the law.

The rule of law ensures the division of powers, that these powers are subject to the law, to the control of the judiciary in their actions, and the protection and custody of the fundamental rights of our citizens.

These are the principles that the Resolution of the Regional Parliament of Catalonia has breached, which seek to return us to a time and place where power was arbitrary and turn back the pages to a time that constitutional Spain has left behind for good.

Some people would do well to remember that without the support and respect for the law, any public power and government loses its own legitimacy, and they should not forget that, when one dispenses with the law, democracy is abandoned. That is what they are offering: to do away with democracy and the rule of law, to yield the freedoms and rights of all citizens, to fracture the unity of the Spanish nation and to destroy the coexistence that has united us for centuries.

And that is what we cannot allow to happen. I am not going to allow it. I have the backing of the vast majority of Spaniards, of their main political representatives and of the economic and social stakeholders. And all of them can count on my commitment and determination.

A few minutes ago the Chief State Attorney presented the writ challenging the Resolution of the Regional Government of Catalonia. We have requested that the Constitutional Court immediately agrees to suspend this Resolution and all its effects, and we have requested that all the decisions adopted by the Constitutional Court should be notified personally to those who have the responsibility to apply them, in other words, to ensure that the suspension is enforced in the event that it is agreed to: that is, to the Speaker of the Regional Parliament of Catalonia, to the members of the Parliamentary Committee and to the secretary general of that institution, to the acting President of the Regional Government of Catalonia and to all regional councillors of his government. All of them must accept their responsibility. It goes without saying that my government is accepting its responsibility.

We are presenting this appeal as the maximum proof of a State that believes in its own laws and which defends them so that the people of Spain can continue to trust in their institutions.

We are defending the rights of all our citizens, not just the people of Catalonia, but especially the rights of the citizens of Catalonia. This is not only a reaction to an initiative from a regional parliament; this is about defending an entire country. What we have agreed on today is the clearest claim for our shared coexistence and our democracy, of the greatest achievements of our long history as a nation and of the main values we share to continue writing the success story as a country.

I will take any questions you may have now. Ask away.

P.- President of the Government, I would like to know whether the appeal, the text of which we are not familiar with yet, curtails to some extent the legislative ability of the Regional Parliament of Catalonia in relation to everything in accordance with the Constitution and the Statute of Autonomy; if this power remains free or if it only relates to the laws deriving from the resolution challenged.

And if you will allow me, do you have any trip planned to Catalonia to send out this message that is being sent to the people of Catalonia from many parts of Spain?

President of the Government.- Yes, I will be in Barcelona on Saturday. Now, after this press briefing, I will travel to Malta because there is an African Union-European Union to tackle the issues of asylum and immigration; on Saturday I will be back in Barcelona and I will then travel from there to Turkey to the G-20 meeting.

As regards the first question you asked me, of course, this is a decision that must be taken by the Constitutional Court. Now, what I understand is that what we have requested is for the suspension of both the Resolution and its content. But a regional parliament can clearly approve, within the scope of its own powers, the laws and resolutions that it considers opportune and suitable. This is an appeal against a resolution that seeks to do away with the unity of Spain and which announced the presentation of certain lines of action that absolutely violate the content of the Spanish Constitution. But, I repeat, at any event, this must be decided on by the Constitutional Court. I am simply telling you what we have requested.

Q.- President of the Government, I understand that in the coming hours, once this has been put before the Constitutional Court, it will cease to have effects in the coming days, weeks and even, I understand, the next five months. If, within this term, the Catalan authorities continue in their endeavours to break Catalonia away, what will be the next step that you take?

President of the Government.- I would like the step we have taken today to be the last step that the government has to take. That is what I would like; to see a rectification from those people that have caused this problem.

The present problem in Catalonia, and which at this time is causing tremendous difficulties to all the citizens of Catalonia, is not being caused by the rest of the people of Spain who live outside of Catalonia, but rather by some political leaders of Catalonia. They are the ones causing a problem for the people of Catalonia.

Hence, I would like not to have to make any further appeals, or indeed have to take any other decisions. That would be a good sign. Now, having said that, I am the President of the Government and I am not going to accept that some people do away with the rules of coexistence that we have all decided upon together. Hence, if the rulings are not complied with and the law or the Spanish Constitution continue to be violated, the government will act and it will do so firmly and proportionally; and have not the slightest doubt that it will do this.

Q.- President of the Government, you met yesterday afternoon, as is usual, with the King. I would like to know what you can tell us, and whether you have seen the Monarch concerned by the situation and whether you are constantly apprising him of this.

President of the Government.- His Majesty the King is perfectly well informed of everything that is taking place, as is only right and proper. And as you correctly pointed out, the President of the Government meets with him regularly. He also meets with many other people, but he meets habitually with the President of the Government, as has always taken place in Spain, and he is closely following what is unfolding in Catalonia. I explain to him the government's positions, the decision that we are going to take and my agreements and meetings with other political groups.

Hence, in this regard, the King is informed and is following this issue, which is undoubtedly an important issue and of concern to everyone, is it not? His Majesty the King is concerned, as is the government, the political forces, all those people that are here today and the vast majority of the Spanish people, because it is something truly noteworthy that some people intend to deprive the vast majority of the Spanish people of the right to decide on what their own country is. That is what, at heart, is being proposed at this time. They are proposing to do away with what we call national sovereignty, and what Spain is must be decided by the Spanish people, and not just some Spanish people.

Q.- President of the Government, in relation to what you have said I deduce, from your words, that you consider that this type of action being taken by the acting President of the Regional Government of Catalonia, and by some Members of the Regional Parliament, to even be a violation of the democracy of Catalonia. Can we deduce that from your words?

Then, they have announced some very specific aspects of certain laws that they want to disobey and two aspects in particular: Social Security and the Tax Agency. Are you prepared to take action in these two areas?

President of the Government.- Are they violating democracy? A resolution that does away with the Spanish Constitution as approved by the vast majority of the Spanish people, and which sets out our rules of coexistence; a resolution that expressly states that they are not going to respect prevailing legislation, that they are going to operate outside of the law; a resolution that states that whatever the Constitutional Court rules, they are going to ignore it, they are not going to comply with it; a resolution that states that the Regional Government of Catalonia now only has to obey the Regional Parliament of Catalonia, you will understand that this is something absolutely out of order.

Here all the rules are being broken: they are trying to do away with the unity of a nation with over five centuries of history; they are trying to do away with our national sovereignty, and they are trying to deprive the Spanish people, the Spanish people of the whole country and many Spaniards in Catalonia as well, of their right to decide on what they want their country to be. What is happening here is truly something that is not happening anywhere else in the world and much less so in the 21st Century.

In other words, this is an outright challenge to the law, to the rule of law, to democracy and to the fundamental rights of our citizens. That is why it is easy to understand the indignation, weariness and tiredness of so many millions and millions of Spaniards who are being spoken to about feelings but whose own feelings are being brought into play and attacked, those that they have as Spaniards and the love they have for their own nation that some seek to tear down.

Q.- President of the Government, some parties are speaking about the need for a political solution in Catalonia. I wanted to ask you what the People's Party is going to offer in the next term of office. How do you feel that this situation of an open wound in Catalonia can be redirected?

Secondly, I wanted to take up an earlier question on your visit to Catalonia on Saturday. I understand that this is a party event. I wanted to know if you want to take advantage of this event to send out a message to all the people of Catalonia.

President of the Government.- Yes, of course. Whenever I speak in public I am addressing all those people that wish to listen to me, whether I am here, at Moncloa Palace, whether at a party event or closing an event organised by the trade unions or business leaders, or anywhere else in Spain. So, I will address, as you would expect, all the people of Catalonia.

At this time, in relation to your first question, my obligation, as President of the Government of Spain, is to ensure that the law is upheld and avoid this entire process ending up, as will indeed happen, in something other than nothing.

What I have done to date fundamentally comprises two things, in fulfilling my duty as the President of the Government of Spain: firstly, to refuse to have a model of financing imposed on me, which is what the Regional Government of Catalonia planned to do, which goes against the equality of all the people of Spain and against solidarity, and hence, what I did was meet my obligation to defend the rights of the Spanish people and the equality of all of them; and secondly, I also refused to allow a referendum to be held that did away with the rights of the Spanish people as a whole to decide on the future of their own country.

Those have been the two decisions that I have taken as President of the Government and, aside from that, and I have said this time and time again, I am prepared to speak about whatever anyone wants, except about national unity, because that is not down to me; about national sovereignty; about the equality of the Spanish people, and their fundamental rights; and about the principle of legality, of ensuring that the law is upheld. I cannot accept that there are governors who say that they are not going to comply with the law, that for them the law does not exist, because if that were the case then with what authority can I say to anyone here in this room that they have to follow the law. Or are you in a worse position than that of those responsible for the Regional Government of Catalonia? That is my position.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for your attention.