​ During the 134th plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions, members held a debate on fundamental rights and European Union's (EU) values with a panel of speakers which included Mr Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner on Better Regulation, Interinstitutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights; Mr Koen Lenaerts, President of the Court of Justice of the European Union; Ms Domenica Ghidei Biidu, Vice-Chair of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance of the Council of Europe; and Mr Michael O'Flaherty, Director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights.

During the debate, Mr Alfred Bosch i Pascual, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Institutional Relations and Transparency of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, pointed out that many EU leaders expect the respect of fundamental rights and values from other countries but turn a blind eye when those principles are violated within the EU itself. Arguing that too many red lines have been crossed in Spain, he urged Europeans not to stay silent but put themselves in the shoes of Catalan people and uphold European values and rights which have been denied in Catalonia since October 2017 and the independence referendum.