Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

422. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the discussions he has had with Spanish and EU authorities to secure the release of elected public representatives from Catalan held in arbitrary detention according to the UN Report of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27101/20]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department follows developments in Spain closely and I am aware of the United Nations Working Group to which the question refers.

I maintain contacts with my Spanish counterparts on a range of issues, including the situation in Catalonia. The question of Catalan independence remains a deeply divisive and contentious issue in Catalonia and in the rest of Spain.

As I have previously stated, the constitutional and political arrangements in Spain are matters to be determined by their own citizens, through their own democratic and legal processes and institutions, in keeping with the rule of law. We respect the constitutional and territorial integrity of Spain.