PM Rajoy says they will battle to the end

Catalonia holds regional elections on September 27 in which separatists are trying to win a majority of representatives in parliament to push their independence drive forward. Rajoy told reporters that his party will counter the effort by arguing Catalans would “lose the rights they have as Europeans and Spaniards.”

Spanish and European Union officials have said Catalonia would be out of the EU if it secedes and would be forced to reapply.  Separatists say an electoral win would trigger a “path to independence” lasting up to 18 months. Rajoy has insisted that independence for Catalonia is unconstitutional and won’t be permitted.