This Wednesday, the European Parliament held one of the debates with a Spanish accent that has aroused the most expectation in recent times: the discussion on the Amnesty Law project and its impact on the Rule of Law. The MEPs got involved in a national scuffle before a Chamber with little participation. The crossover of accusations between the center-right and the center-left included references to historical figures such as José María Aznar, Felipe González or Antonio Machado himself. While the Commission remains cautious, but vigilant.
The Strasbourg plenary session debated the controversial Spanish bill on Wednesday. A non-binding discussion without resolution. But it entails great symbolic significance and has a clear objective: to put the eyes of Europe on the rule of law in Spain. Tempers were heated and the vice president already asked the MEPs before starting to preserve the “dignity” and “reputation” of the chamber.
The focus was on the words of the European Commission, which, as expected, maintained a cautious tone. Didyer Reynders, Commissioner of Justice, who had shown concern when the investiture agreement between PSOE and Junts was being prepared, could not do much more than be prudent. Legal experts are analyzing the bill, which began its journey in the Congress of Deputies this week.
Brussels will not issue the opinion until final approval in the Spanish Parliament. And, meanwhile, as a neutral arbiter and guardian of the Treaties, he cannot speak out. In this evaluation, the Commission is called upon to discern whether Spanish legislation is compatible with the community acquis. Specifically, with Article 2 of the EU on the separation of powers and the rule of law and with the fight against terrorism, corruption and respect for the financial interests of the Union.
The Belgian acknowledged that he is receiving many parliamentary questions and complaints “from citizens from many places.” For this reason, he assured that Brussels will study the text with “care, independence and objectivity.” And, in the face of the commotion unleashed and measuring each word, he recalled the lines that have been defended in the community capital since the beginning of the procés crisis: that the question of Catalonia is an internal issue of Spain, words that are celebrated in La Moncloa. Sources from the PSOE affirm that “the PP has failed in its attempt to get the European Commission to take a position against” the amnesty.
Furthermore, Reynders took advantage of his intervention to remind Spain of its great pending issues in terms of judicial functioning. And here the blockade of the General Council of the Judiciary stands out above all. “It remains unrenewed and no measures have been taken to improve the process of appointing judges,” he said, referring to the latest report on the rule of law. In these recommendations, Brussels detects cracks around the independence of the State Attorney General, a bridge between judges and public and political officials, and corruption in high places. The Belgian commissioner has warned that current events will be taken into account for the next report, which each year puts the spotlight on the state of the fundamental principles in the Twenty-seven.
Eyes were also on the European social democrats. The PP and Ciudadanos had asked the rest of the progressive MEPs to “raise their voices” to “defend the fundamental values ??of the EU.” “Do not frivolize this issue because we already know how it ends, and use your influence. Today you have the opportunity to continue defending the rule of law alongside us as in Hungary or Poland,” Adrián Vázquez, head of the Ciudadanos delegation in the camera. And here everyone played their cards. The Social Democrats left room for interventions by foreign colleagues such as the German René Repasi or the Portuguese Pedro Marques to act as a shield for these requests.
During the intense plenary debate, Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party, and his social democratic counterpart, Iratxe García Pérez, raised their political pulse at the lectern. The relationship between the Bavarian, who has championed a fierce opposition to the Spanish Government in Brussels, and the Spanish, faithful from the beginning to Pedro Sánchez, could not be worse.
Weber recalled that the General Council of the Judiciary has expressed its concern “about the deterioration and even abolition of the rule of law in Spain.” He cited former President Felipe González, who on numerous occasions has defined the amnesty as unconstitutional. And he recalled Sánchez’s words when he himself opposed this measure, claiming it was not compatible with the Magna Carta.
“Gentlemen of the PP, there is no greater attack on the rule of law than your alliance with the extreme right. Whenever you bless the extreme right to govern, you attack the judiciary, the press, women, the LGTBi community. Your hug to “The extreme right represents an embrace of a project of involution. Their mimicry with the extreme right is devouring them,” García-Pérez questioned.
The polarization, tension and emotion of the Spanish streets moved to the French city for a few hours. “Europe, listen to what Pedro Sánchez said: he will bring Puigdemont back to Spain to be tried. Only his lack of scruples and his political opportunism are greater than his deceptions. Listen, Europe, to the heartbeat of our laws, our Constitution and our Rule of Law, which is witnessing the deterioration of our democracy,” outlined Dolors Monsterrat, head of the Spanish Popular Party. The function followed the established script: the center-right sought to Europeanize the amnesty, the left invoked the ghost of the extreme right and an absent Carles Puigdemont described the debate as a “circus.”
