Esquerra SG Elisenda Alamany spells out that the consortium between the Spanish and Catalan tax agencies “is not a path” that Esquerra can take, and to avoid “misunderstandings,” the draft party manifesto will be amended: “It is now time for fiscal sovereignty”

Esquerra Republica Secretary General Elisenda Alamany applauded the agreement that has led to the planned protests by Catalan crop and livestock farmers to be called off, but she warned of the threat that the EU-Mercosur agreement represents for the country’s producers. “We applaud the progress achieved with the negotiations because farming must be part of the present and future of this country, but let the trees not blind us to the forest: there is little point in patching things up in Catalonia if the free trade agreements in Europe condemn crop and livestock farmers,” she warned.

“Defending Catalan farmers today means standing against Mercosur,” continued Ms Alamany, who defined the free trade agreement as “a red carpet for the Spanish stock market IBEX-35 corporations to do business in Latin America behind the backs of Catalan farmers.” She went on to criticize the position of the Socialists in Europe for having positioned themselves in favour of the agreement, while in Catalonia they now agree to carry out a study on what impact it may have on the country’s primary sector. “The studies are to be done before voting. It is obvious that as Mercosur is currently conceived, it will benefit the large corporations,” she insisted.