All eyes are on him. Catalan president Carles Puigdemont has until Monday to confirm whether or not he declared independence. The stakes are high: the Spanish government has already said that if he does not back down they will strip Catalonia of its self-government. Madrid has shown no willingness to negotiate on a legal referendum, or anything that could allow Catalans to decide their future. It's done nothing to avoid continuing escalation. Even the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, admitted as much today.