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The brand new Spanish foreign ministerJosep Borrell, said he wants to improve the negative image of Spain held in some quarters internationally, exacerbated by the police repression of the independence referendum. As part of this strategy, he's started a media campaign, granting his first interviews as minister. For the moment, however, he hasn't managed to convince the Financial Times.

"Spain seeks to silence ‘black legend’ critics" reads the British newspaper's headline, in reference to the idea that the country is "backwards and authoritarian". This headline, bluntly calling it a plan to "silence" critics contrasts with an article which offers minimal analysis or opinion, mostly describing what Borrell said in an interview with multiple media outlets.

With respect to the minister's comments, it is notable that he says Madrid is losing the communications battle with Catalonia and that its "reputation had been damaged". "In [international] public opinion and among intellectuals today, the narrative of the separatists has been widely accepted," says Borrell.

It's to tackle this question, Borrell says, that he accepted the role of minister: "I think that Spain has to do a better job explaining what is happening in Catalonia and in the country".