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Esquerra Republicana is the oldest party in Catalonia, next year we turn 90. During this long -and often difficult- history we have always stood for democracy, freedom, social justice, equality, civic engagement and internationalism. For defending these ideals, we have sometimes been the target of state repression. We had political prisoners and exiles in the dark times of the Francoist dictatorship, as we now have –in 21st Century Europe– for implementing our democratic right to self-determination. But despite that, or maybe because of that, our commitment to these ideals is stronger than ever. There is nothing wrong in democratically advocating statehood for Catalonia as the best way to build a fairer, more prosperous and more democratic society with a bigger say in EU and world affairs. However, there is a lot wrong in putting political and civic leaders in jail for years and years for letting people vote and decide on their future. We won’t stop denouncing this repression, always and everywhere, from our town councillors to our MEPs, just as we will not stop claiming amnesty and our legitimate right to self-determination.

The world is going through uncertain times and facing huge challenges. The pandemic will leave harsh socio-economic consequences, it will enlarge inequalities and put a big strain on public finances. Global warming and its consequences are showing the limits of our model of growth and the urgency to substantially change it. Everywhere, populists are eroding democracy and autocrats are crushing human dignity and human rights. Not even the richest societies are able to move forward without leaving too many people behind. And at a world scale, the rate of inequality -huge and growing as it is- is simply immoral. A progressive party like ours is always compelled to look beyond the limits of our constituencies and build alliances to stand for a better world. We are also here for that. And we’d like to walk this path together.

Jordi Solé i Ferrando                                                                                                                                     MEP and Secretary for international affairs of Esquerra Republicana