Ahead of a pivotal election on Sunday, Artur Mas, Catalonia's president, outlined his views on the call for independence. Highlighting the rejection of Catalonia's call for greater tax-raising powers, assaults on the teaching of the Catalan language at schools and the dire Spanish economy, Mas pledged to hold a referendum on independence if he was to be re-elected.
Urging the nation to face the potentially historic choice it has before it, Mas said:
“If we stay in the position we are in now, it will be a disaster,”
“Something important is changing,”
“If Slovenia, Malta, Estonia can be states in Europe, why not Catalonia?”
Though he did caution that the EU's acceptance of the state of Catalonia was significant, saying, "things change if the EU is not on side."
Stressing that such a separation would never be easy, Mas acknowledged that Spain would not let it happen without fierce resistance. However, he said, "you never find a right time to do these things."
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