Germany says Catalonia must respect EU and Spanish law

Catalonia needs to honour European treaties and stick to the Spanish constitution, a German government spokesman said on Monday after separatists in the region won a clear majority of seats in Catalonia's parliament in a pro-independence showing.

"We're convinced it's important that with everything that's happening at the moment, to maintain the rule of law, both with regard to EU treaties and with regard to national law, i.e. the Spanish constitution," German spokesman Steffen Seibert said at a government news conference.

Catalonia's acting regional government head Artur Mas has said Catalans voted for independence but Spain's constitution does not allow any region to break away, so the prospect remains highly hypothetical.