Foreign Affairs Minister José Manuel Albares revisited the topic of languages ahead of the ministers’ gathering. EU European Affairs were noted, and according to information obtained by this newspaper from attendees at the meeting, the issue of Catalan, Basque, and Galician is expected to feature on the agenda of the General Affairs Council (GAC) in Brussels on the 24th.
The Murcia session was an informal gathering in preparation for broader discussions within the Council of Europe. In the coming weeks, two European Council meetings are anticipated: an informal session in Granada next Friday, and another in Brussels on October 26. It remains unclear whether the language issue will be addressed at this level.
Pro‑independence parties secured a pledge from the PSOE to urge European institutions to recognize Catalan, Galician, and Basque as official EU languages in exchange for a vote in favor of Francina Armengol’s presidency of the Congress Board. The request now aims to advance European recognition alongside the anticipated confirmation of Pedro Sánchez’s appointment in the near future.
Catalan officialdom
Official status for Catalan within the EU has been a central demand for Junts, the group most hesitant to back Pedro Sánchez’s nomination. While ERC emphasized broader official language recognition in Congress, the push for language status in Europe originated with post‑convergence figures. Some leaders even urged Albares to register the petition as a precondition for their support, a move described by Carles Puigdemont as a form of advance payment. The Balearic leader was not guaranteed support until the request was clarified.
Now Junts maintains that Catalan’s official EU status must be acknowledged before Sánchez’s re‑election. In the PSOE, it is argued that the decision is not solely the responsibility of the current government but a matter for consensus among all EU member states. Socialists stress that they have signaled they will pursue the issue persistently, noting that loyalty should reflect a broader coalition, especially after recent rapprochment.
As negotiations focus primarily on potential amnesty measures related to the procés, Sánchez’s allies are growing more optimistic about his chances of taking office. When Alberto Núñez Feijóo reportedly received a firm rejection from Congress, the plan was to accelerate efforts this Friday. Sources within socialist leadership indicate the strategy is for Sánchez to be sworn in and form a government before the end of October. [Source: internal discussions among party members and attendees at the Murcia meeting]