The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation sent the Generalitat of Catalonia, on Tuesday, June 25, an unfavorable report on the opening of three new Delegations in Mexico, Argentina and Tunisia.

As established in Article 12 of the Law 2/2014, of March 25, of the Action and of the Foreign Service of the State, corresponds to the MAUC to inform about the aforementioned proposal in accordance with the guidelines, aims and objectives of the Foreign Policy, the Strategy of External Action and, in particular, with the principle of unity of action abroad. This report is mandatory, although, according to the aforementioned Law, it is not binding. The law in question was approved during the Popular Party Government, which then had an absolute majority in Congress and the Senate.

The report considers that the opening of the aforementioned delegations is currently harmful to the interests of the State, given the stated objective of the current Government of the Generalitat to use all means at its disposal for the so-called internationalization of the "procès", in clear damage to the foreign policy of the State – whose direction falls to the central Government in accordance with the Article 97 of the Constitution– and the normal development of the international relations of this one – exclusive state competence according to article 149.1.3º of the constitutional text.

Without prejudice, therefore, to recognize the autonomic competence for the establishment of offices abroad in order to promote the interests of the Autonomous Communities, it is evident that the performance of such offices must adhere to the Spanish constitutional framework and be developed in accordance with this. An external activity of an Autonomous Community that takes place outside its competence framework and without respect for the principles of unity of action abroad, institutional loyalty and service to the general interest causes in itself a detriment to the foreign policy of the State.

The Government has instructed the State Advocacy to appeal in administrative litigation the decision of the Government of the Generalitat of Catalonia to open delegations in Mexico, Argentina and Tunisia. In addition, taking into account the considerations set forth in paragraph 3 above and the recent experience that shows that the Delegations of the Generalitat are being a fundamental instrument to promote the thesis of secessionism and denigrate the international image of Spain, it has been instructed to the State Advocacy to request precautionary measures in order to avoid activities that are revealing harmful to the interests of the State.



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