Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has until 10:00 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) on Monday to clarify whether he is calling for the region's independence from Spain, with Madrid threatening a return to direct rule if his stance remains ambiguous.
The wealthy region's threat to break away following a referendum that Spain's Constitutional Court said was illegal has plunged Spain into its worst political crisis since an attempted military coup in 1981, just six years after the death of dictator Francisco Franco.
Puigdemont made a symbolic declaration of independence last Tuesday, only to suspend it seconds later and call for negotiations with Madrid on the region's future.