A chamber of the High Court of Justice of Catalonia has provisionally suspended the three decrees opening Catalan government delegations in Argentina, Mexico and Tunisia. The judges say they could "contradict the exclusive power of the state".

Spain's foreign affairs ministry, headed by Josep Borrell, had asked the court to reject the opening of the three delegations, as it had already done with those in Berlin, London and Geneva.

The decision argues that the plans for the delegations exceed the powers of the Catalan government when it comes to international relations. The suspension of the three decrees, the judges are, aims to "avoid the harm, difficult or impossible to repair, to the image of Spain and the state's foreign policy which 'with all certainty'" would occur if the three delegations were to open.

They say it could harm the "principles of unity, institutional loyalty, coordination and cooperation" outlined in the relevant legislation.

The ministry's view

The ministry argued that the activity of the Catalan government's offices abroad is "harmful for the state's interests" and that they have a "well-defined role within the secessionist plan".

They say that, with its new delegations, the government is "persisting" in its aims to "give international reach to the process of national transition or secession".