Madrid unveils roadmap for resolving Catalonia row

After Catalonia’s tumultuous drive for independence in 2017, Madrid has released a roadmap aimed at resolving its differences with the would-be breakaway region.

Late Tuesday, the Spanish government released the text of the 21-article roadmap, which was first proposed by Catalan President Quim Torra to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Dec. 20.

Entitled “A state pact to resolve the conflict between Spain and Catalonia", the document reviews the current situation in the region and recommends several "political solutions", according to the Europa Press Agency.

It also touches on international mediation efforts and calls for negotiations between the Spanish and Catalan governments “on an equal footing”. It further calls for a probe into alleged police abuses committed against Catalonian activists.

The 21 articles are divided into three sections: a democratic response to Catalonian demands, the need for the democratic regeneration of Spain, and the erasure of the legacy of Spain’s Franco dictatorship.

Spain dissolved the Catalan parliament after the Catalan government held an illegal referendum on independence in October 2017.

Shortly afterward, then Spanish Premier Mariano Rajoy implemented Article 155 of Spain’s constitution, which allows Madrid to intervene in the internal affairs of the country’s autonomous regions.

Ousted Catalan President Carles Puigdemont then fled Spain to Belgium before being briefly held in Germany for 12 days under an EU arrest warrant.

He returned to Brussels after his release, where he has been living in exile ever since.