EU intelligence agency contradicts the New York Times on Catalonia

In early September, The New York Times published an alleged report by the EU intelligence agency, known as EU INTCEN, documenting the trips to Russia by Josep Lluís Alay, Head of Office of exiled president Puigdemont, to gain the Kremlin’s support for independence.

Although both Puigdemont and Alay denied that the trip served to secure international alliances and it was only to maintain regular contacts with authorities and journalists, the Spanish parties took advantage of the article to launch a smear campaign against the independence movement.

Now, months later and following a question from Puigdemont, Comín and Ponsatí to clarify the origin of the report, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, has denied any link between the EU intelligence agency with the alleged report published by the New York Times.

“EU INTCEN is not the author of the intelligence report mentioned in the New York Times article. EU INTCEN does not know who authored the report in question” the High Representative stated in a written reply. Puigdemont tweeted that the disengagement of the intelligence agency “should make someone think, especially those who seized the opportunity to take advantage of it”.