Catalonia's secession is nothing short of a "disaster" that the EU will work to prevent and support a united Spain, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has told Bloomberg.
"We are very concerned about Catalonia. I do not like the situation that has been caused. This is a disaster in many ways. "It has created a political atmosphere, it has created rifts in Spanish and Catalan society, it has caused problems within families, among friends, it is sad," Jean-Claude Juncker told the Spanish newspaper El Pais.
Mr Juncker sent the following message to former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, who has taken refuge in Belgium: "Catalan separatists must not underestimate Mariano Rajoy's widespread support throughout Europe."