The regional leader of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont says he already feels like the president of a free country after over two million Catalans voted to secede from Spain in a banned referendum last Sunday.

“I already feel as a president of a free country where millions of people have made an important decision,” Puidgemont said in an interview with German newspaper, Bild.

Amidst the unrest that trailed the referendum, the European Union (EU) has urged the Spanish government and Catalan authorities to engage in dialogue to defuse the often violent confrontations over calls for secession.

The First Vice President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans told the European Parliament on Wednesday during the debate opened to discuss the situation in Spain, that it was time for both parties to sit down at a round table and talk.