Uncertainty over success of all-party summit

President Quim Torra has called a meeting at 4pm today in the Catalan government headquarters as a “space for dialogue between all parliamentary groups”, an initiative called for by the Socialists and approved in Parliament. The summit aims to lower tensions between political parties, foster dialogue and explore possible alliances. However, little more than a commitment to keep talking on a regular basis is expected from the meeting. In particular, little progress is expected on the main source of disagreements between the parties, the issues of self-determination and the situation of jailed political leaders.

Torra hopes the meetings can continue in the future, but he has put the condition that all topics must be covered, such as housing and health, but also self-determination. Sources in the presidency department speculate that it is this condition that may have led to the refusal to attend by the unionist Ciutadans and PP parties. Ciutadans says it will not attend because political dialogue ought to take place in public.

However, neither will the far-left pro-independence CUP party be attending, over suspicions that the meeting is merely a way of exploring how to work within the framework of the Spanish Constitution, while CUP is calling for unilateral independence.