Leaders meet in Waterloo ahead of Diada
Former Catalan president Artur Mas has visited exiled leader Carles Puigdemont at the Casa de la República in Waterloo, Belgium, on the eve of Catalonia’s National Day. During the meeting on Thursday 10 September 2026, Mas expressed the hope that this would be the last Diada Puigdemont spends outside Catalonia, after nine years in self-imposed exile. Mas described Puigdemont’s potential return not as a restoration of normality but as “an act of restituting justice”, according to a joint statement issued by Puigdemont’s office and reported by La Vanguardia. He reiterated that the prosecution of political and social leaders for defending democratic rights should never have occurred.
Amnesty and legal rulings discussed
The two leaders discussed the delayed implementation of Spain’s amnesty law and the need for immediate compliance with the ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which earlier in 2026 cleared the way for the amnesty by confirming it does not breach EU law. They also addressed broader challenges facing Catalan society and reaffirmed the importance of strengthening Catalan nationalism as a modernising force. Both agreed on the necessity of building a solid national majority capable of addressing societal issues through Catalan institutions.
This would not be a return to normality, but an act of restituting justice.
Artur Mas offered his full support to Puigdemont and placed himself at his disposal ahead of any possible return to Catalonia this autumn, a move that remains contingent on the full application of the amnesty law, particularly regarding charges linked to the 2017 independence referendum.
Primary sources: govern.cat. Reported by lavanguardia.com, elperiodico.com, VilaWeb, elpais.com, CatalunyaPress.cat, elnacional.cat, catalunyapress.es, en.ara.cat, catalannews.com, g.tejedor, parlament.cat, Racó Català.
