Read in Catalan

The news agency Reuters has warned that the current Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, is "hardening his position on Catalonia". In particular, the agency highlights Sánchez's assertion that he will act with "strength and proportion" against any attempt by Catalan pro-independence parties to repeat a referendum.

Reuters refers to an interview published Sunday in the digital newspaper Hoy (link in Spanish), in which the PSOE leader declares that "if there is another break with the constitutional order or the Statute of Autonomy in Catalonia, the social and democratic State of law led by this government will act with strength and proportion against any challenge."

The message, says Reuters, is that Sánchez could once again apply article 155 of the Spanish Constitution to Catalonia, as the former prime minister Mariano Rajoy did in 2017. Article 155 allows the central government to take control over an Autonomous Community, subject to approval by the Spanish upper house, the Senate.

The Socialist leader's reference was worded to suggest that he considers 155 a legitimate option: "It's an article of the constitution," said Sánchez. Reuters' report also notes the Sánchez government's says it wants to make sure that there is "compliance with the Constitution throughout the country."