European commissioner Günther Oettinger has told The Telegraph newspaper that the EU could act as mediator between Catalonia and Spain "if it was asked". The EU would "only" do this if requested to, he said.
German politician Oettinger, who is EU Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources, has called on the Catalan and Spanish authorities to open talks, because he detects a risk of "civil war". "The situation is very disturbing" he declared, with a conflict "planned in the middle of Europe".
The Telegraph takes the view that one element in the spiralling tension is that "the government in Madrid appears to be trying to facilitate an exodus" of businesses, referring to its decree to facilitate the departure of companies from Catalonia, approved by a Spanish cabinet meeting on Friday.