Switzerland's leading business newspaper, Finanz und Wirtschaft, has warned today in an analysis of the European scene that Catalonia's conflict with the Spanish state is still unresolved and that this will be one of a number of problems facing the EU during 2019. "In Spain, the regional conflict between the Madrid central government and the Catalan independence movement has calmed down, but it continues to smoulder," says the paper (link in German, with paywall).

According to Finanz und Wirtschaft, this is one among several EU issues that show that "Europe is searching for its meaning". "Many problems are putting the European project to the test," says the Swiss newspaper.

The article lists the failure to resolve the Catalan face-off alongside the problems that French president Emmanuel Macron has in France. "A year ago, in the month of September, Macron gave a curious speech to the European Parliament about a new vision of the EU. And today he is under fire even in his own country," it remarks. "There is even the possibility that France won't meet the European stability criteria, after successfully doing so every year from 2008 to 2017," adds the paper.

As a third problem, it mentions the instability of Italy. "It has been busy arguing with the EU about its own government budget for months. With a deficit of around 130% of its GDP, the limit of 60% of GDP allowed by the EU is totally out of reach," explains Finanz und Wirtschaft.