Catalan independence vote fallout sees research centres’ bank accounts frozen
Spanish government seized control of regional public finances prior to the referendum and may hold them indefinitely
The Spanish government’s heavy-handed response to the Catalan independence vote, held on 1 October and dismissed as illegal and unconstitutional, has had a knock-on effect on universities and research centres across the region. These research institutions are among 300 regional entities that have seen their financial independence curtailed, as the Spanish tax ministry seized control of regional accounts.