4 May 2015
Mr Mogens Lykketoft
Member of Parliament
Dear Mr Lykketoft,
I am writing to you as Secretary General of the Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia (DIPLOCAT), a public-
private partnership created to foster dialogue and build relationships between the citizens of Catalonia and
the rest of the world.
We have learned that on 12 May the Danish Parliament will debate Catalonia’s request to hold a self-
determination referendum. We would like to thank the Danish Parliament for your interest in the Catalonia
issue.
As you may know, an overwhelming majority of the Catalan people, the Catalan Parliament and the Catalan
Government support Catalonia’s right to decide our political future.
This strong desire to vote results from longstanding disagreements between the regional government of
Catalonia and Spain’s central government about the degree of cultural, political and financial autonomy that
Catalonia should enjoy. We have tried every legal and political route peacefully and democratically possible
to gain a referendum and they have all been rejected.
As the precedents in Quebec and Scotland show, the best way to solve legitimate internal disputes is to
employ the tools of democracy. Preventing the Catalan people from voting as they request contradicts the
basic principles that inspire democratic societies.
Therefore, we are deeply grateful for the debate that will take place on 12 May in your parliament
(http://www.ft.dk/samling/20141/forespoergsel/F26/index.htm), and we would like to formally express our
gratitude for the Danish Parliament’s commitment to Europe’s shared democratic values.
If you would like further information on the issues in Catalonia, I attach some relevant articles:
- Debate on possible independence of Catalonia: key issues; House of Commons. 3 November 2014.
- The law is the law: legalistic distortions between official Spain and Catalonia; Nick Rider. 17 November
2014.
- The View from Catalonia. The Ins and Outs of the Independence Movement; Carles Boix and J.C. Major.
11 September 2014.
If you wish to stay abreast of the referendum process, please feel free to check
www.cataloniavotes.eu.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me for any further information you might need.
Barcelona, 4 May 2015.
Albert Royo-Mariné
Secretary General
Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia
Casa de les Punxes. Av. Diagonal, 418, 1r 2a (map) | 08037 Barcelona | Tel. +34 93 445 71 12 |
www.diplocat.cat
|
www.cataloniavotes.eu
| @ThIsCatalonia