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Seat could relocate headquarters following Catalonian declaration of independence

Company president Luca de Meo said relocating the Seat registered office “would respond to the need to seek legal protection”.

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Spanish car maker Seat could relocate its headquarters following Catalonia’s decision to declare independence.

The move to separate from Spain was announced by Catalonian MPs this afternoon (October 27) following a ballot that was backed 70 votes to 10.

Catalonia is an autonomous community in the north-eastern region, and all of Seat’s fixed assets are linked to the territory. Its main production centre is based in Martorell on the outskirts of the Catalonian capital of Barcelona.

In an open letter sent to employees on October 24, Seat president Luca de Meo said the need to seek legal protection could force the manufacturer to move its registered office outside of Catalonia.

He said: “Seat is Spain’s leading automotive manufacturer and we have all our production centres located in Catalonia. We are an industrial company and our fixed assets are linked to the territory.

“For this reason, for the company, relocating the registered office would respond to the need to seek legal protection, and would make sense the moment we felt it was no longer afforded in the territory where we are located.

“Political stability and legal certainty, together with belonging to the European Union, are essential to ensure the economic and employment sustainability of our company and its subsidiaries, and to maintain the trust of our customers and shareholders.”

Although the letter was sent three days ago, a Seat spokesperson said it still represented the company’s position following the Catalonian declaration of independence.

“Our priorities at this moment are to protect the interests of our workers, and the families of our investors, suppliers and customers,” they said.

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