Catalonia May Follow Valencia in Bailout Request, El Pais Says

The regional government of Catalonia may follow Valencia to ask for financial aid from the central government, El Pais reported, citing Catalan delegate in Parliament Josep Rull.

The Catalan regional government, led by Artur Mas, is trying to negotiate a 500 million euro ($608 million) bridge loan with undisclosed financial entities, El Pais said. The regional government has warned publicly funded hospitals and schools that if they fail to secure the loan they will not receive payment this month given that they only have enough cash to pay public sector employee wages, debt maturities and some supplier´s bills, El Pais added.