Reversing the effects of direct rule is one of the top priorities of the new Catalan government. And today, the cabinet took an important step towards that aim: it will reopen Diplocat, the Catalan Public Diplomacy Council shut down by Madrid the very same day that direct rule was applied in Catalonia. The Catalan cabinet says the move was illegal and vows to take action to undo it. This, on a day that saw new searches in Barcelona by the Spanish police over the independence referendum. Today we also see some promising news for Catalan infrastructure in terms of the economy… and the environment.