The president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, says that he can't mediate between the Spanish and Catalan governments because only the Catalan side has requested him to. He made the comment during an event for students in Luxembourg. He added that he doesn't want to mediate because it would create "more chaos" in the European Union and because he doesn't want "a Europe than in 15 years time is made up of more than 90 countries".
"If Catalonia were to become independent, others would do the same. I don't like that," said Juncker, in comments that also revealed his worries about the current situation.
Juncker had spoken with German chancellor Angela Merkel by phone last Friday to discuss the crisis in Catalonia. Also last week, French newspaper Le Monde (link in French) reported that European leaders are betting on isolating Catalonia because they believe that "by receiving messages assuring him of his isolation, Puigdemont will renounce a unilateral declaration of independence".
Now, despite refusing to act as mediator between the Spanish and Catalan governments, Le Monde states that northern Europe was "shocked" by the images of police violence that came during the day of the referendum on 1st October. "It makes us think of Soviet methods", the newspaper quotes a diplomat from a Scandinavian capital as saying.