Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont will have to decide whether to unilaterally declare independence from Spain by 6PM on Tuesday (10 October), when he is due to address the Spanish region's devolved parliament.
Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy has said that even if he does, it would have no meaning because last week's referendum on the issue was illegal.
But Rajoy warned that such a step could prompt a suspension of Catalonia's self-rule.
Leading Spanish firms and Puigdem...
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Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.