24/01/2018 (Agence Europe) – In a press release published on Wednesday 24 January, the European Alliance (EA) group of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) protests against the order of the Spanish government to close the bureau of the Catalonia in Brussels. “This is completely unnecessary and an infringement of the rights of the Catalan Parliament and Government”, said Karl Vanlouwe, EA chair and N-VA member of the Flemish Parliament. He went on to say that the Spanish government “should not curtail the rights of the Catalan people to represent themselves in Brussels or elsewhere”. The pro-Catalan independence movement won the elections of 21 December and is expected to appoint a president of Catalonia by the end of the month (see EUROPE 11941). It is possible that Carles Puigdemont, currently taking refuge in Brussels, could be re-elected to this position. (PH)