MADRID (AP) - Spain's Supreme Court is stripping six prominent Catalan politicians of public office for trying to make the northeastern region of the country independent.

Judge Pablo Llarena also ruled Tuesday that the six secessionists be sent to trial on charges of rebellion, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 30 years.

Those charged include former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, who is fighting extradition from Germany, and former regional Vice President Oriol Junqueras.

In this photo made available by Presidencia del Gobierno on Monday, July 9, 2018, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, speaks with Catalan regional president, Quim Torra, at the Moncloa palace in Madrid. The new heads of Spain and Catalonia have agreed on opening a bilateral dialogue over the future of the northeastern prosperous region in the first breakthrough in the years-long political standoff between the central and regional governments. (Pool Moncloa via AP)

Llarena left it up to the Catalan regional parliament, where the rebellion defendants now are lawmakers, whether to replace them.

Llarena was tasked with investigating what took place in Catalonia in October, when Puigdemont's government disobeyed a court ban on holding a secession vote and the regional parliament unilaterally declared independence.

The events triggered Spain's most severe political crisis in decades.

In this photo made available by Presidencia del Gobierno on Monday, July 9, 2018, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, speaks with Catalan regional president, Quim Torra, at the Moncloa palace in Madrid. The new heads of Spain and Catalonia have agreed on opening a bilateral dialogue over the future of the northeastern prosperous region in the first breakthrough in the years-long political standoff between the central and regional governments. (Pool Moncloa via AP)

In this photo made available by Presidencia del Gobierno on Monday, July 9, 2018, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, speaks with Catalan regional president, Quim Torra, at the Moncloa palace in Madrid. The new heads of Spain and Catalonia have agreed on opening a bilateral dialogue over the future of the northeastern prosperous region in the first breakthrough in the years-long political standoff between the central and regional governments. (Pool Moncloa via AP)

In this photo made available by Presidencia del Gobierno on Monday, July 9, 2018, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, speaks with Catalan regional president, Quim Torra, at the Moncloa palace in Madrid. The new heads of Spain and Catalonia have agreed on opening a bilateral dialogue over the future of the northeastern prosperous region in the first breakthrough in the years-long political standoff between the central and regional governments. (Pool Moncloa via AP)</s>In this photo made available by Presidencia del Gobierno on Monday, July 9, 2018, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, speaks with Catalan regional president, Quim Torra, at the Moncloa palace in Madrid. The new heads of Spain and Catalonia have agreed on opening a bilateral dialogue over the future of the northeastern prosperous region in the first breakthrough in the years-long political standoff between the central and regional governments. (Pool Moncloa via AP) less

In this photo made available by Presidencia del Gobierno on Monday, July 9, 2018, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, speaks with Catalan regional president, Quim Torra, at the Moncloa palace in Madrid. The ... more

Catalan regional president, Quim Torra talks during a news conference after his meeting with Spain's prime minister Pedro Sanchez, unseen, in Madrid, Monday, July 9, 2018.

In this photo made available by Presidencia del Gobierno on Monday, July 9, 2018, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, speaks with Catalan regional president, Quim Torra, at the Moncloa palace in Madrid. The new heads of Spain and Catalonia have agreed on opening a bilateral dialogue over the future of the northeastern prosperous region in the first breakthrough in the years-long political standoff between the central and regional governments. (Pool Moncloa via AP) less

In this photo made available by Presidencia del Gobierno on Monday, July 9, 2018, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, speaks with Catalan regional president, Quim Torra, at the Moncloa palace in Madrid. The ... more

In this photo made available by Presidencia del Gobierno on Monday, July 9, 2018, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, speaks with Catalan regional president, Quim Torra, at the Moncloa palace in Madrid. The new heads of Spain and Catalonia have agreed on opening a bilateral dialogue over the future of the northeastern prosperous region in the first breakthrough in the years-long political standoff between the central and regional governments. (Pool Moncloa via AP) less

In this photo made available by Presidencia del Gobierno on Monday, July 9, 2018, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, speaks with Catalan regional president, Quim Torra, at the Moncloa palace in Madrid. The ... more

In this photo made available by Presidencia del Gobierno on Monday, July 9, 2018, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, speaks with Catalan regional president, Quim Torra, at the Moncloa palace in Madrid. The new heads of Spain and Catalonia have agreed on opening a bilateral dialogue over the future of the northeastern prosperous region in the first breakthrough in the years-long political standoff between the central and regional governments. (Pool Moncloa via AP) less

In this photo made available by Presidencia del Gobierno on Monday, July 9, 2018, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, speaks with Catalan regional president, Quim Torra, at the Moncloa palace in Madrid. The ... more

MADRID (AP) — Spain's Supreme Court is stripping six prominent Catalan politicians of public office for trying to make the northeastern region of the country independent.

Judge Pablo Llarena also ruled Tuesday that the six secessionists be sent to trial on charges of rebellion, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 30 years.

Those charged include former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, who is fighting extradition from Germany, and former regional Vice President Oriol Junqueras.

Llarena left it up to the Catalan regional parliament, where the rebellion defendants now are lawmakers, whether to replace them.

Llarena was tasked with investigating what took place in Catalonia in October, when Puigdemont's government disobeyed a court ban on holding a secession vote and the regional parliament unilaterally declared independence.

The events triggered Spain's most severe political crisis in decades.</s>Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, is meeting today with Catalan premier Quim Torra in a bid to start normalizing relations between Barcelona and Madrid.

It is the first time in two years that a Catalan government leader has come to La Moncloa, the seat of the Spanish executive in Madrid.

The last such meeting held there was between Mariano Rajoy and Carles Puigdemont; the former was recently unseated by a no-confidence motion and has retired from politics, while the latter fled Spain to avoid being tried for rebellion after leading a unilateral independence bid.

The Madrid premier thinks the meeting is “a mistake” because the Catalan government is “run by fanatics”

As the encounter started on Monday morning, Sánchez wrote on Twitter: “We begin the meeting focused on taking a step forward to return normality to Spain, with respect for the Constitution and the trust that institutional dialogue will open up channels of understanding.”

Following recent expressions of goodwill from both sides, the meeting will test the limits of the current leaders’ commitment to dialogue. Sources at both executives admitted that the path toward a loyal and long-lasting collaboration is fraught with difficulty. And there is opposition to the talks among political parties across the ideological spectrum.

Before leaving for the capital, Torra wrote on Twitter: “Going to Madrid to explain to [Pedro] Sanchez Castejón the extremely serious situation the Spanish state has created in Catalonia. And to willingly listen to the solution he proposes.”

More self-rule

Torra is asking for a Scottish-like referendum, but Sánchez is not open to that option

Sánchez, of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), has said that he is ready to consider further power transfers and investment in Catalonia, but is insisting on an agenda that will “take all Catalans into account,” not just those in favor of independence.

Meanwhile, Torra, who was handpicked by Puigdemont as his successor, continues to publicly defend the outcome of the illegal referendum of October 1 and the right to self-determination through a referendum similar to the one held in Scotland in 2014.

At his last address inside the Catalan parliament, Torra compared Catalonia with Scotland and called for the same kind of negotiated referendum that ultimately ruled out independence for the UK nation “We expect the same reply that [then-British Prime Mininster] David Cameron offered,” said Torra.

Sánchez is not open to this possibility, but sources at La Moncloa said there is still room left to win back some of the 47.7% of voters who cast their ballots for separatist parties at the regional election of December 21. Sánchez will insist that his own agenda is meant “for all Catalans,” not just a few.

The Catalan executive says that Sánchez is mistaken if he thinks that promises of new investment will be enough.

Torra is expected to suggest that specific issues of an economic and social nature, such as improved financing and power transfers over railroad and airport facilities, be addressed by dedicated committees and bilateral forums. The separatist parties Together for Catalonia (JxC) and Catalan Republican Left (ERC) said that even though there is no Catalan state yet, running day-to-day affairs in this way would be good because it constitutes “making a republic.”

Opposition

There is considerable opposition to the Sánchez-Torra meeting among parties with very different agendas. Center-right party Ciudadanos, which strongly opposes the secessionist movement, has asked the Spanish PM to cancel the meeting until Torra “rectifies” and “drops his intention” to declare Catalan independence, in the words of deputy Fernando del Páramo. And Madrid regional premier Ángel Garrido, of the conservative Popular Party (PP), thinks the meeting is “a mistake” because the Catalan government is “run by fanatics” and nobody should “make concessions to diehards.”

Meanwhile, the far-left, pro-independence CUP party in Catalonia sees the trip to Madrid as a waste of time: “Talking with someone who does not accept the right to self-determination is a contaminated dialogue,” they say.

Spanish government spokesperson Isabel Celaá said that holding talks is one thing, and demanding respect for the law another. None of the two sides would say whether the former will still be possible if the latter is not respected.

English version by Susana Urra.</s>During a highly anticipated meeting with Catalonia’s pro-independence president, Quim Torra, on Monday, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez promised to improve the region’s existing self-government but refused to negotiate the staging of a referendum on secession.

The two-and-a-half-hour meeting, which took place in the prime minister’s residence in Madrid, was the first such encounter between a Spanish leader and a Catalan president since January 2017.

“The most important thing is the normalisation of relations between the Spanish government and president Torra within the constitutional framework and respecting Catalonia’s statutes,” Spain’s deputy prime minister Carmen Calvo told reporters afterwards.

Ms Calvo said that a bilateral commission to facilitate co-operation between Madrid and Catalonia would be restarted after several years of paralysis. She also said the central government wanted to speed up the creation of a new transport link between Barcelona and other Mediterranean cities.

Last month, Mr Sánchez’s Socialists replaced the conservatives of Mariano Rajoy as the party of government. Ms Calvo suggested that the previous administration’s legalistic approach to the Catalan issue would now make way for political engagement.

“For a long time we have been going through a political crisis to which this government wants to respond with politics,” she said.

Mr Sánchez and Mr Torra were photographed walking together through the gardens of the prime minister’s residence. The Catalan leader also presented the prime minister with two books about Catalonia and a bottle of ratafia liqueur, adding to the air of goodwill.

However, in the build-up to the meeting there had been several issues of discord between the two men.

Shortly before becoming prime minister, Mr Sánchez had accused Mr Torra of being a Catalan supremacist, comparing him to French far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

And last week, the Spanish government announced it would present an appeal before the constitutional court against the Catalan parliament’s reiteration of its supposed right to break away from Spain.

The Catalan leader was less effusive about Monday’s encounter than the Spanish deputy prime minister, saying afterwards that “we have been able to compare the visions we have of Catalonia”.

He also highlighted the two areas where his administration and Madrid fail to see eye-to-eye: on the holding of a Scotland-style independence referendum and on the status of jailed independence leaders, whom Mr Torra describes as “political prisoners”.

However, he added that he had “seen a prime minister Sánchez who has listened, who took notes, and I liked that”.

Some pro-independence Catalans had expressed doubts ahead of the meeting, because it was likely to focus on the region’s existing powers rather than secession. Criticism also came from unionists, who underlined the fact that Catalan nationalists had helped Mr Sánchez become prime minister last month in a parliamentary vote.

“Mr Sánchez has to pay a debt to Mr Torra for his support in making him prime minister,” said Albert Rivera, leader of the Ciudadanos party. “But Spaniards should not have to pay off the debts of Mr Sanchez with this kind of humiliation.”

Mr Sánchez and Mr Torra have agreed to meet again, although a date has not been announced.</s>The new leaders of Spain and Catalonia have agreed on opening a bilateral dialogue over the future of the prosperous northeastern region in the first breakthrough in the years-long political standoff between the central and regional governments.

 

 Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Catalonia's President Quim Torra disagreed on the divisive issue of self-determination, but agreed on improving social, economic and other issues affecting Catalans, Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo said after Monday's 2.5-hour-long meeting in Madrid.

 

 The encounter yielded, according to Calvo, "a good image with content for our country's democracy."

 

 Torra described the meeting as "long, sincere and providing frank dialogue" and said that he had felt "listened to."

 

 But he said there were deep differences regarding his proposal of a legal referendum on Catalonia's independence as the only way out of the political deadlock, and the situation of Catalan politicians imprisoned for the secession attempt late last year.

 

 Calvo said that Sanchez reminded his guest that self-determination is not allowed under Spain's 1978 constitution.

 

 "We have the obligation to defend the constitutional order," the deputy prime minister said. "We know there is a political project seeking independence for Catalonia, but Catalonia can still improve in many aspects that are attainable."

 

 Sanchez had offered instead to unblock regional legislation on social issues affecting energy consumption, health services or poverty alleviation, among others. Both sides agreed to re-establish a forum to discuss infrastructure projects and other investments unrealized by the previous conservative administration, Calvo said.

 

 Both politicians, newcomers in their respective positions, also agreed to a second meeting later this year in Barcelona.

 

 Torra arrived for the meeting displaying on his jacket a yellow ribbon that has become a symbol for those seeking the freedom of the imprisoned Catalan separatists.

 

 According to the Catalan government, he gave Sanchez a book about a Catalan valley that enjoys a great degree of self-government, a compilation of medieval maps of Catalonia and a bottle of traditional liquor from his hometown.

 

 The meeting ended with a stroll in the gardens of the Moncloa palace, the seat of the Spanish government, in the outskirts of the Spanish capital.

 

 That image of cordiality with the backdrop of the palace had been unthinkable until last month, before Sanchez defeated the former prime minister Mariano Rajoy in a parliamentary no confidence vote.

 

 Rajoy's conservative cabinet had been at loggerheads with the separatists in Catalonia over a banned referendum of independence, challenging in court every move by the regional Catalan authorities.

 

 The vote was finally held amid a violent crackdown by police sent in by Madrid, and the unilateral declaration of a new Catalan republic that followed was never implemented after central authorities seized control over the region.

 

 Catalonia remained part of Spain but the secession attempt unfolded the worst crisis in more than four decades of Spanish democracy. It also led to the imprisonment of some separatist politicians, while others fled to self-imposed exile. It took seven months for Catalonia to regain self-government after Torra was appointed as regional president.

 

 His predecessor, Carles Puigdemont, skipped a court summon and fled to Brussels. He's now living in Hamburg, Germany, where he's fighting extradition to Spain.

 

 Polls and recent elections show that the 7.5 million residents of the wealthy region are roughly split down the middle over the question of independence, although a great majority favors a referendum agreed by the state to decide the issue.</s>MADRID: Spain’s new leader Pedro Sanchez met with separatist Catalan president Quim Torra for the first time on Monday, aiming to kickstart dialogue after the region’s failed attempt at secession sparked a political crisis.

 The first meeting between a Spanish prime minister and a Catalan regional leader in more than two years started in Madrid around 0930 GMT with a handshake.

 Torra, who has said he wants another independence referendum, earlier said his aim was to “find out the Socialists’ view on the right of self-determination for Catalans”.

 However, Sanchez, who has been in power for a month, has urged Catalan separatist leaders to “turn the page”.

 Several government figures have rebuffed the idea of another referendum, with Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo telling the Spanish newspaper El Mundo on Sunday that the country’s constitution does not allow for a territory to become independent.

 “And no Spanish constitutional government will consider it,” Calvo said.

 But a senior Catalan government official said that they would bring the fractious issue up in Madrid.

 “Our proposal to resolve this is a referendum on self-determination. If they have a better idea, they can explain that to us,” the official said.

 Before the meeting, Torra tweeted that he was going “to explain to Pedro Sanchez the very serious situation that the Spanish state has created in Catalonia”.

 “And with the willingness to listen to the solution he proposes,” he added.

 Sanchez overthrew his conservative predecessor Mariano Rajoy in a key parliamentary vote last month that he won with the help of Catalan separatists.

 In a bid to ease tensions ahead of the talks, at the start of this month six of the nine Catalan leaders being held near Madrid were transferred to Catalonia.

 They include former Catalan vice-president Oriol Junqueras, Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart of two pro-independence associations and Raul Romeva, the former Catalan government’s international affairs chief.

 Accused of rebellion along with deposed Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont for their role in the region’s proclamation of independence, they face up to 25 years in jail.

 Catalonia’s separatist government pushed ahead with an independence referendum on October 1 despite it having been ruled unconstitutional by the court and Spain’s central government. The referendum was followed by a unilateral declaration on independence on October 27.

 At the time, separatist authorities said 92 per cent of the 2.2 million Catalans who cast their ballot — 43 per cent of eligible voters — opted for independence.

 The conservative Spanish government in power at the time, headed by Mariano Rajoy, responded by sacking the Catalan government, suspending its parliament and imposing direct rule over the wealthy northeastern region.

 Madrid ended direct rule over Catalonia last month after Torra’s administration was sworn in.

 Catalan lawmaker Meritxell Batet, who was recently appointed as Spain’s minister for public administration, said the ruling Socialists wanted to amend the constitution to move toward a “federal model”.

 However, with only 84 deputies in the 350-member house, the Socialists have little room for manoeuvre.

 — AFP</s>Spain’s new socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez agreed Monday to re-open previously suspended bilateral discussions with Catalonia, in a meeting with the region’s leader aimed at easing tensions between the central and regional governments.

Since taking office last month, Sánchez has sought to take a softer approach toward Catalan separatists, who had been at loggerheads with Sánchez’s conservative predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, over their push for independence, culminating in regional lawmakers declaring independence, Madrid imposing direct rule over Catalonia, and the jailing of former Catalan government officials pending trial.

The meeting with Torra was therefore meant to set a “precedent” for future relations between Madrid and Barcelona, according to Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo.

“There is an important shift in Spanish politics that will be reflected in [Madrid’s] relations with Catalonia,” Calvo said.

Torra and Sánchez agreed to re-open bilateral committees of the central and regional governments, which had been suspended since 2011, with the aim of “normalizing” relations, Calvo said. Sánchez also said he would lift a veto by Rajoy on so-called social laws introduced by the Catalan parliament regarding energy self-sufficiency, climate change and social security.

But the two disagreed on the issue of Catalan self-determination, with Sánchez maintaining that this is not allowed under Spain’s constitution.

Torra said after the meeting that he had not “explicitly” brought up the question of holding a legal referendum on independence, but said he and Sánchez held “very different positions” on the matter. Still, he expressed appreciation for Sánchez’s willingness to talk.

“It had been a long time since [Catalonia] was able to hold a debate with a Spanish prime minister in order to find common ground,” he said.

Read this next: EU lawmakers blast leadership over China hacking risks</s>MADRID (AP) — The new heads of Spain's central and Catalonia's regional governments are holding talks for the first time since yearnings for independence in the northeastern region led to an unprecedented political crisis last year.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has welcomed Catalan President Quim Torra on Monday in the Moncloa Palace, the seat of the national government in Madrid.

Torra says a legal referendum on Catalonia's independence as the only way out of the deadlock, and he seeks authorization to hold it. But Sanchez's government has said self-determination is not allowed under Spain's 1978 constitution.

Still, the central socialist government has "great expectations" on the meeting, Cabinet spokeswoman Isabel Celaa said last week.

Sanchez is expected to offer to unblock regional legislation on social issues and to promise infrastructure and other investments.</s>MADRID: Spain's new leader Pedro Sanchez on Monday meets separatist Catalan president Quim Torra for the first time in a bid to kickstart dialogue after the region´s failed attempt at secession which sparked the country´s worst crisis in decades.

Sanchez has been in power for a month after overthrowing his conservative predecessor Mariano Rajoy in a key parliamentary vote he won with the help of Catalan separatists.

Sanchez has urged Catalan separatist leaders to "turn the page" after Torra said he wanted another referendum on independence. At the start of this month, six of the nine Catalan leaders held near Madrid were transferred to Catalonia to ease tensions ahead of Monday´s talks in Madrid.

They include former Catalan vice president Oriol Junqueras, Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart of two pro-independence associations and Raul Romeva, the former Catalan government´s international affairs chief.

Accused of rebellion along with deposed Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont for their role in the region´s proclamation of independence in October 2017, they face up to 25 years in jail.

Torra said the aim of the talks was to "find out the Socialists´ view on the right of self-determination for Catalans." The government has already rebuffed this with spokeswoman Isabel Celaa responding that the "right to self-determination does not exist in the constitution".

"Our proposal to resolve this is a referendum on self-determination. If they have a better idea, they can explain that to us," the official said.

Catalonia´s separatist government pushed ahead with an independence referendum on October 1 despite it having been ruled unconstitutional by the court and Spain´s central government. The referendum was followed by a unilateral declaration on independence on October 27. At the time, separatist authorities said 92 percent of the 2.2 million Catalans who cast their ballot -- 43 percent of eligible voters -- opted for independence.

The conservative Spanish government in power at the time, headed by Mariano Rajoy, responded by sacking the Catalan government, suspending its parliament and imposing direct rule over the wealthy northeastern region. Madrid ended direct rule over Catalonia last month after Torra´s administration was sworn in.

Catalan lawmaker Meritxell Batet who was recently sworn in as Spain´s minister for public administration said the ruling Socialists wanted to amend the constitution to move toward a "federal model".</s>In a matter of a few days, Pedro Sánchez, the 46-year-old leader of Spain's Socialist party, has gone from unpopular-at-the-polls lawmaker to prime minister of the fourth-largest economy in the eurozone.

He was sworn in on June 2, after leading a no-confidence vote in parliament on May 31 that pushed out former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, as corruption allegations badly tainted the administration's center-right Popular Party.

Now, with little more than a month in office, Sánchez has wasted no time in trying to put the country on a new, more liberal course following 6 1/2 years under conservative Rajoy.

His agenda, so far, has included immigration and gender issues, as well as addressing a painful chapter under Gen. Francisco Franco's 1939-1975 dictatorship — which are "symbolic" themes for Spaniards, said Sandra León, an expert on Spanish politics at the University of York in England.

"These areas may be good because they are likely to gather public support and do not represent a budgetary liability," León said.

Sánchez's fast rise to the top of government came as a surprise to many in Spain. In 2016, he led the center-left Socialists to their worst election results in recent memory. He resigned as party leader not long after, only to be re-elected to the post by the party in May 2017.

Dubbed "Mr. Handsome" — by the English press, according to Spanish media, or by the Spanish themselves, according to some English papers — Sánchez brings a modern image to government. Rajoy was notoriously media-phobic and critics mocked his poor English skills. Sánchez, on the other hand, speaks the language fluently and has already been engaging in English-language pleasantries with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Twitter. When Trudeau congratulated him on becoming prime minister, Sánchez replied in English.

But Sánchez's position as prime minister is fragile. The Socialists have just 84 of the 350 seats in the lower parliament. He only managed to replace Rajoy with the help of smaller parties, including the leftist Podemos and Basque and Catalan nationalist groups. Sánchez will need to keep them on his team to get legislation passed. The now-opposition Popular Party, or PP, has 134 seats.

"Sánchez has engaged in a strong signaling game, trying to show he has the statesmanship qualities and also a progressive agenda that, despite the lack of parliamentary numbers to implement it, he will try to implement after the next elections," said Víctor Lapuente, a senior lecturer in political science at Sweden's Gothenburg University and frequent commentator in Spanish media.



On day five in office, Sánchez made history by appointing Spain's first government comprising more women than men. Eleven out of 17 cabinet posts, including at key ministries such as defense, finance, economy and the interior, are now held by women.

That's the highest share of women in any cabinet in the world, according to a UN Women report.

"It's a powerful message of gender equality sent to citizens and institutions," Emanuela Lombardo, a senior lecturer in political science with a focus on gender at Madrid's Complutense University, told NPR.

She praises the strides the new government has already made — including re-establishing the Ministry of Equality and appointing a feminist sociologist, Soledad Murillo, as secretary of state for equality.

But, Lombardo says, "the fact that the government is working with the budget approved by the former PP government," the party that holds a majority in the Senate, "will create hurdles" for further reforms.



On the European Union's southwestern frontier, the Spanish coast is an arrival point for thousands of migrants each year, making risky journeys to seek refuge in mainland Europe.

Sánchez is taking a principled stand on migration, in stark contrast to Europe's anti-migrant politicians, including new Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini.

In June, when Italy and Malta refused permission for a rescue ship carrying 629 migrants to dock, Sánchez stepped in and said the Aquarius was welcome in Spain.

The Spanish leader has been eager to work on a European-wide policies on migration.

His first EU summit, held late last month, was a marathon. EU leaders managed to come to an agreement in the early hours of June 29. The deal involves opening new centers in member countries that will be used to house and process asylum-seekers — a plan that was championed by both Sánchez and French President Emmanuel Macron. The centers will be opened on a voluntary basis but will be run and funded collectively by the EU.

"The EU is beginning to move in the right direction: to give a European perspective to a European challenge like migration," Sánchez tweeted.

While not comprehensive, the deal served as a compromise between "front-line" states like Spain and northern countries such as Germany.

Spain's southern coast is just 8 nautical miles from Morocco and thousands of migrants have been making the perilous journey across the Strait of Gibraltar in often barely seaworthy boats.

In June, over 6,000 migrants reached Spain's southern coast by sea, which is more than the number of migrants who arrived in Italy and Greece combined, according to the International Organization for Migration.



The issue of Catalonia, in northeastern Spain, became the biggest political crisis to hit Spain since its return to democracy in 1978.

In October 2017, Catalonia's government went ahead with a referendum on independence from Spain, which the central government in Madrid had deemed illegal. Spanish police cracked down forcefully on voters.

The Rajoy administration ended up taking over the regional government and imprisoning Catalan officials aligned with the independence movement. The Catalan regional president at the time, Carles Puigdemont, fled Spain for exile in Brussels.

More than seven months of Madrid's direct rule over the region ended on June 2 — the same day Sánchez took office. Catalonia's new government was sworn in under a new president, Quim Torra, a Catalan independence-minded leader with close ties to former President Puigdemont.

Last week, Sánchez moved jailed Catalan politicians from prisons near Madrid to ones in Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, so they could be closer to their families and lawyers.

And on Monday, he met with new Catalan President Torra. Rajoy had refused to negotiate directly with Puigdemont.

Sánchez tweeted an upbeat message — in the Catalan language — saying "a political crisis requires a political solution. This meeting is a constructive start toward normalizing relations."

Many Spanish citizens are concerned by Catalonia's independence movement, but a poll in April for Barcelona's El Periódico newspaper found 47 percent of Spaniards support a referendum on independence as a way to ease tensions around the issue.

For many analysts, how Sánchez deals with the Catalan crisis could make or break him.

"I think it will be the most divisive issue, if not in the day-to-day news cycle, then in the long term," said sociologist Jorge Galindo, who writes regularly on politics in the Spanish media.

"It is possible that immigration will become a politically divisive issue in Spain, something that has not happened so far. But I think Sánchez's decisions regarding the Catalan conflict are more likely to deepen the already existing divisions among citizens," he added.

Moving the prisoners and meeting with Torra are steps toward reversing some of the previous government's actions toward Catalonia, suggesting Sánchez is more open to dialogue and compromise than Rajoy.

But the prime minister has made clear that when it comes to Catalonia, there is no quick fix.

"The Catalan crisis is not going to be solved in one, two or even six years," Sánchez told El País newspaper.



Sánchez has committed to removing the remains of Spanish dictator Franco from the Valley of the Fallen, a macabre monument to those killed during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) that many instead view as a monument to fascism.

The Socialist government wants to remove Franco and turn the Valley of the Fallen, a cavernous basilica outside Madrid under which lie nearly 34,000 civil war dead from both sides of the conflict, into a place of reconciliation.

The dictator's bones could be removed as soon as this month. Franco's family and far-right supporters want to block the move. The Popular Party has opposed attempts to exhume the remains of the generalissimo.

"I think that Spaniards have other priorities in their daily lives. We're seeing a government that is limiting itself to gestures and sensationalism," said María Dolores de Cospedal, one of the candidates to succeed Rajoy as head of the PP.

With the anniversary of the start of the Spanish Civil War on July 17, Sánchez could win a big publicity coup, and again hit international headlines, by exhuming Franco on that date.



Sánchez has quickly sought to ally himself with France's government, led by a fellow center-left, pro-EU moderate, and position Spain as an important European power.

"Sánchez has already made it clear that Spain's role in Europe is changing," sociologist Galindo told NPR. "From a discreet position, Sánchez is leading the country to be an important part of continental decisions in what is probably the most contentious issue of today: immigration."

Ahead of his first European summit, Sánchez made his first official visit abroad, meeting France's Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris on June 23 to discuss immigration.

Macron provided support during the Aquarius crisis, offering migrants the chance to claim asylum in France if they wished.

Sánchez has also shown early signs of not being easily swayed by the United States. Spain, like other NATO members, received a letter from President Trump in June urging it to increase defense spending to at least 2 percent of its gross domestic product. But in a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Madrid on July 3, Sánchez said Spain's contribution should not be measured solely on spending percentages but also on its "availability of military capacity" and "the willingness to use it," El País reported.

Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell added that, although Spain budgeted to spend 0.92 percent of its GDP on defense this year, it has been an active participant in NATO missions.



Analysts say to expect more "symbolic" policymaking from Sánchez in the coming months, as he attempts to cement his power and drum up support among legislators and voters.

"He will put an emphasis on highly visible gestures and will try to avoid any major scandals," said political scientist Lapuente.

A survey conducted by Spanish broadcaster Cadena Ser following the no-confidence vote showed Spaniards have more confidence in the Sánchez administration than in the Rajoy government.

The survey, published after Sánchez's first week in office, also said 41.3 percent of Spaniards believe Sánchez's government is more capable of solving the Catalan crisis, compared with just 16.5 percent who thought the same of his predecessor.

The Socialist party's popularity has also risen. Two polls published in right-leaning newspapers ABC and La Razón in June said that the party would win considerably more seats if elections were held.

Spanish elections are held every four years, so the next vote must be held before July 26, 2020. But a prime minister has the right to call a snap election at any time, something many thought Sánchez may do.

But Sánchez has said he will not call elections until 2020, a canny decision, according to Lapuente.

"Time is his best ally," Lapuente said. "The longer he stays in office, the longer he looks like a viable PM and the higher his chances are of winning the next elections."
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Quim Torra, meet officially in Moncloa. It is the first time since the beginning of the crisis that a Spanish Prime Minister and a Catalan President meet.