The European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, has demanded this Monday in Madrid, in the presence of Felipe VI, that before Spain accedes to the European Presidency on July 1, the renewal of the CGPJ is addressed and the modification of the system of choosing their vowels.

“Your Majesty, in the case of Spain, we recommend advancing in the renewal of the CGPJ as a priority, and immediately start the process to adapt the appointment of members of judicial origin taking into account European standards”, the commissioner said in his speech at the presentation ceremony in Madrid of the Congress that the World Jurist Association will hold in New York this July.

Reynders added that “it would be positive” to comply with this recommendation from the European Commission “before the start of the Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU in July.”

The European standards to which you have referred establish that political power should not intervene in the election of the members of judicial origin of the Council. Twelve of the 20 CGPJ members are of judicial origin and the 12 are ultimately elected, like the rest, by Congress and the Senate.

The commissioner recalled that the new European Commission report on the rule of law in the EU will come out in July, which since last year includes specific recommendations for each country. In the case of Spain, that the Council be renewed and its election system be changed. “In this year’s report we will follow up and verify how the recommendations have been addressed,” warned the European Justice Officer.

Reynders has continued indicating that when the dialogue does not work, the Commission can take “decisive actions”, such as opening “infringement proceedings” and ultimately addressing the Court of Justice of the EU. Last September, the commissioner visited Spain to try to undo the CGPJ knot, without success.

After mentioning the case of Poland, to which an infringement procedure has been opened, he added that since 2020 the EU has a new “powerful” instrument, which is to link the delivery of European funds to the adoption of measures in in favor of the rule of law that are considered essential. Reynders has cited in this case Hungary, to which this link has been applied.

King Felipe VI was the last to speak at the inauguration of this Congress and once again has highlighted the “erosion” of the institutions. “Democracy has been directly affected”, he said when recalling the war in Ukraine. As a result, “many parts of the world are suffering from the erosion of democracy, which includes the law”, the King has analyzed. “It is urgent that we defend them”, he requested. “It is everyone’s job that can only be done freely” .

Before closing the ceremony, in which the World Association of Jurists World Peace and Freedom Award was presented to American Andrew Young, one of Martin Luther King’s closest collaborators in the fight for civil rights and for the racial equality in the US. Felipe VI himself received the award in 2019.

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