BRUSSELS, March 8 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee of the European Parliament will ask the Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, to appear to address the accusation of the former president of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont for an alleged crime of terrorism in the ‘Tsunami Democràtic’ case, and the amnesty law, a rule on which the commissioner has said that he does not want to issue conclusions until its final adoption.
This was agreed upon by the groups at a meeting of coordinators in which, as reported by the Popular Party, promoter of the initiative, the invitation has been accepted despite “the opposition of the socialists and other left-wing groups.”
In this way, the matter is registered on the list of “pending” debates in the LIBE commission and there is no date for the appearance, the invitation of which must still be sent to the commissioner. In any case, parliamentary sources tell Europa Press, the debate will have to wait for the Venice Commission to present its opinion on the amnesty law, whose amendments and final version will be put to a vote at its assembly on March 15 and 16. .
The Venice Commission, a consultative body of the Council of Europe and outside the European Union, is working on an opinion at the request of the Spanish Senate and the MEPs hope that one of their representatives will also be invited to the debate with Reynders.
Although the decision to ask the Commissioner for Justice to come and give explanations to the MEPs has already been approved by the coordinators, it remains to be seen whether the tight calendar between now and the European Parliament elections next June allows for a meeting to be scheduled before the next legislature in which the composition of the Chamber will change.
The Civil Liberties, Justice and Interior commission still has three meetings scheduled before the legislature concludes: March 18 to 19, April 8 to 9 and April 18. It also happens that Reynders aspires to be the next Secretary General of the Council of Europe and if his candidacy is successful he will have to leave his portfolio in Brussels at the end of March.
