Stopping independence movements across Europe is one of the greatest challenges facing the EU, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said.
According to El País, Rajoy defended the strategy he used in Catalonia and warned of separatist movements in Italy (Tyrol) and France (Corsica) during a closed-door speech to members of the conservative European People’s Party in Valencia on Thursday.
“We have some ghosts of the past that return, like exclusionary nationalism, a version of populism that in Spain, but not only in Spain, we know well,” said the Spanish prime minister.
“In light of the illegal secessionism clash, we are grateful for the support we had from all European countries and from all the democracies of the world. I want to thank you for your defense of the law and democracy,” he added.
Also present at the meeting, El País reported, was the president of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, who said “it is important to defend the unity of the country, the European homeland, the homeland of Spain, the homeland of Italy.”