The EU Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, declared this Tuesday that there are “certain limits” from the community point of view regarding the drafting of the amnesty law that Junts demands for the investiture of Pedro Sánchez. The Belgian politician has indicated that the matter is, in principle, a “national competence”, but that the issue of embezzlement, one of the crimes that would fall under the amnesty, will be closely examined.
Reynders made these statements in Madrid, after an event related to the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU – Public Justice Service in times of change – which he closed together with the acting Minister of Justice, Pilar Llop.
“I have heard that it is very likely that in the next few hours or days we will have a draft within the negotiations to form a Government. Of course we will examine the content of the text very closely. The first thing, as I have said, is a national competence, “but of course there are certain limits. They know that we in Europe are very involved in the fight against corruption. To be specific, in the fight against some crimes such as embezzlement or misappropriation of public funds.”
“We will be very attentive,” he insisted, recalling that he could not go further in his evaluation because he has not yet received “any text proposal” for the eventual amnesty law.
In Europe we are very involved in the fight against corruption
His words come after already on Monday – in an intervention in the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs of the European Parliament – that he would be attentive to the impact of the amnesty law, especially with regard to crimes of embezzlement that affect European funds.
He pointed out that a legal text such as the one demanded by Junts to support the investiture of Pedro Sánchez would leave judicial sentences and ongoing procedures for “very serious” crimes such as embezzlement or disobedience “deprived of content”, according to Europa Press. He insisted that at the moment he cannot make an accurate assessment of the amnesty law because there is no formal document on the table that he can examine.
Reynders has also spoken out again about the blockage in the renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), pending since December 2018. The commissioner has indicated that he will resume contacts if there is a new Government and that the priority is to renew the Council and then reform the election system.
The Commissioner of Justice has stressed that the renewal of the governing body of judges is a “very urgent” matter, among other issues, because there is “a negative evolution in the perception” that the population has of Justice. He has highlighted the difficult situation in which the Supreme Court finds itself, in which the impossibility of making appointments is having a special impact.
Despite the need for renewal, Reynders has stressed that he has “no concern” about the independence of judges in Spain. “We are sure that we have an independent justice system,” she said.
The commissioner is in Madrid to also participate in the European Union’s High Level Group on the fight against incitement to hatred and hate crimes, an issue that – in his opinion – becomes even more important when today maintains the fight against anti-Semitism and Hamas terrorism in Israel.
