Fifteen years ago, Francesco Piccolo wrote a light and delightful book in which he recounted "moments of unseen happiness." The smell of bread as it comes out of the oven, the moment the coffee pots turn off, finding a special stone on a walk along the sand, hands covered in oil when you can't stop eating peanuts during an aperitif, the encore of an extraordinary concert, when the person you're waiting for knocks down the corner, the ruix filling a carefree life for a few summer weeks.

Today will not be the day either the official status of Catalan in EuropeThere won't be a more constructive position from the German government, which is the key. Germany carries a lot of weight in the EU, and behind them are six countries that wouldn't necessarily vote against it, but that are putting up obstacles: Italy, Croatia, Austria, Sweden, Finland, and the Czech Republic. What's happening to Germany? Well, since the last elections, it has had a conservative chancellor, that is, from the PP political family, and the PP has been and is still knocking on every door to prevent Catalan from becoming an official language in Europe. It's doing so against Catalan, but also against Pedro Sánchez. And it's relatively easy for it to do so because, among other reasons, the EU is a club of states that don't want any more noise than they already have or to give wings to languages that are politically considered "regional." Because we're talking about incorporating three languages at once: Catalan, Basque, and Galician. One of the arguments the PP uses is to point out that neither Catalan, Galician, nor Basque are official languages throughout Spain: so how can they be official languages in Europe? The argument is fallacious because one thing doesn't negate the other, but in a club of states, these kinds of tricks work. And, of course, when you've spent your entire life hiding the fact that your country has more than one language, hearing Minister Albares say that Catalan "is part of our identity" is surprising, to say the least. However, as long as Pedro Sánchez holds out, the petition will not fall. On this page you will find all the information from our Brussels correspondent, Gerard Fageda.