MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Spain's government will be ready for talks with Catalonia's authorities on the reform of the funding system for the region after they abandon plans to gain independence, Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said in an interview published Thursday.
Earlier in the week, Spain’s Civil Guard held over 40 search operations related to the preparations for the independence vote and detained more than 10 people. The searches were held in a number of governmental institutions, including Catalonia's government.
Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, in his turn, accused the Spanish government on Wednesday of a de-facto suspension of the region's self-governance with its actions to impede the Catalonia independence referendum.
"Once independence plans are dropped, we can talk… Catalonia already has a great deal of autonomy, but we could talk about a reform of the funding system and other issues," de Guindos told the Financial Times, adding that any talks would correspond to the country's constitution.
According to the minister, the government is currently more open to demands by Catalonia's former leader Artur Mas made in 2012 regarding providing more money and financial autonomy to the region.
"In 2012 it was the middle of a crisis and our focus was on avoiding a bailout for Spain… but now the situation has changed, we have more fiscal space, we have a recovery, and that opens new opportunities for discussion," the minister said, adding that independence would be "economic and financial suicide" for Catalonia due to a possible significant fall in the economic output.
On September 6, Catalonia’s Parliament passed a bill enabling an independence referendum to be held on October 1. The Spanish government called the bill illegal and challenged it in the Constitutional Court. The next day, the Constitutional Court accepted the lawsuit for review, thus suspending the Catalan law on the referendum.
