A representative from Catalonia will take up a place at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) from June, writes El Periódico. The position, which will be “under Spanish supervision”, comes after the signing of an agreement on June 3 in Paris between the Director of UNESCO, Irina Bukova, and the president of the Catalan regional government, Artur Mas.

Under the deal, representatives of the Catalan government, appointed with central government consent, will be able to intervene selectively in areas such as education, culture, social sciences, natural sciences and communication, the newspaper explains, adding –

It’s not about having a direct presence alongside that of Spain, nor of having the status granted to Quebec [which has had a representative in the permanent Canadian delegation since 2006] in this international institution.

In Bucharest, Evenimentul Zilei explains that for Barcelona the seat amounts to “one small step closer to independence,” even if “the prospect of an independent Catalonia arouses little enthusiasm in Europe,” where several countries – including Romania, Belgium, Cyprus, Italy, Slovakia and the United Kingdom – fear that it would inspire separatist movements at home.