MADRID (Sputnik) — The law would enable the Spanish autonomous region to move toward independence despite Madrid's objections to an independence referendum, El Pais newspaper reported on Monday.
As regards an independence referendum, no minimum participation threshold would be set and a simple majority in favor would be enough for the decision to be ratified, according to the publication.
The bill also defines the status of the Catalan citizens, the procedure of obtaining citizenship, as well as which Spanish laws would remain in force after region's secession and what would happen to Spanish government contracts and property of the Spanish state.
The law is expected to be approved in only one reading and enter into force within 48 hours after adoption.
Moreover, the bill envisages Catalonia remaining part of the European Union after gaining independence.
In late September 2016, Puigdemont pledged to look for an agreement on independence from Spain. Shortly afterwards, the Catalan parliament voted in favor of two resolutions: one which called on the regional government to hold an independence referendum in the fall of 2017, and a second which aimed at coordinating the autonomous community's conduct with the central Spanish authorities.
On November 9, 2014, about 80 percent of the Catalans who took part in a non-binding referendum on the region's status as part of Spain voted in favor of Catalonia becoming an independent state. Madrid declared the referendum unconstitutional.
