María G. Zornoza Brussels

Brussels

Updated Tuesday, January 23, 2024-17:02

  • Europe The French MEP criticizes the amnesty in the EU: "Many of us in France are worried about what is happening in Spain"

The Petitions Committee of the European Parliament witnessed, once again, a day with a strong Spanish accent on Tuesday.

Eight associations presented a series of complaints and accusations about the amnesty law and the situation of the rule of law in Spain.

As a result, the leader of the PP in the chamber and president of

PETI

Dolors Montserrat has commissioned the Committee on

Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE)

and the Committee on Economy to prepare two reports on the adaptation of the bill to the acquis. community from the point of view of fundamental rights and corruption and embezzlement.

Furthermore, at the request of the

Popular Party

- and after obtaining support backed by a show of hands from the

Renew Europe

and

Conservative and Reform

groups -, the

European Parliament

will analyze sending a mission of MEPs to the country to find out the situation of first hand on the ground.

It will be the coordinators who must agree on it.

However, if it occurs, the European parliamentary hearing in Spain will not take place imminently, but will be postponed to the next legislature, which will begin after the European Parliament elections to be held between June 6 and 9. .

One of the participants in the session held in the community capital was Rosa Díez, who appeared on behalf of organizations such as

S'ha finish

or

Citizens for Europe.

"The amnesty law that we denounce today is a fraudulent and unconstitutional transaction between a candidate for the Presidency of the Government and a fugitive from justice. A law written by a criminal to erase his crimes in exchange for votes is, by origin and content , pure corruption," he stated, presenting the Government of Pedro Sánchez as "a democratic anomaly" in the EU and the "only one congratulated by Hamas and the Houthis."

As is usual in these national debates, many of which take place in the Petitions committee, the vast majority of protagonists have been Spanish MEPs.

Although the popular Europeans have also shown muscle with the interventions of some of their internationals.

The German Christian Democrat

Peter Jahr

has expressed disappointment with "the brief response" of the European Commission to "such an important issue."

"When it comes to small countries, it seems that the Commission is much firmer and intervenes more quickly," he said.

"Amnesty simply to guarantee a majority in Parliament seems to me to be the most erroneous path possible," he said.

The debate has proceeded as planned.

The

PP

, Ciudadanos and Vox have appealed to the responsibility of the community institutions to defend the Rule of Law, in their opinion, under vital risk in Spain.

"It is not a law of amnesty, it is a law of impunity," stated

Teresa Freixas

.

"Spain is experiencing a wave of autocratization," said Carlos Tejada, another of the petitioners.

"What we are presenting today is as serious or more serious than the case of Slovak populism or as serious and more so than the Hungarian case. Left-wing populism is as poisonous as right-wing populism. Criminals want to set the law. It is not a matter The democracy of all Europeans is at stake," said

Maite Pagazaurtundúa

, Ciudadanos MEP.

For their part, PSOE, ERC or the BNG have attributed it to a campaign by the right and the extreme right to delegitimize and weaken the Sánchez Government and to Europeanize the cause.

"It is unusual that the European Commission is being debated here and made to debate about a law that is being processed in the national Parliament. They come, once again, to usurp the work of the Spanish institutions in a huge lack of decorum and democratic consideration towards our State (...) The amnesty law seeks reconciliation, diversity and coexistence in Spain, something that the PP did not do," defended the socialist Cristina Maestre.

Spain has historically behaved in the EU as a sometimes insecure, sometimes self-conscious Member State.

Sometimes both.

Europe, projected as an all-powerful entity, warns, instructs, instructs, guides.

From Madrid, Brussels is sought, regardless of political color, as a sacrosanct and paternalistic shield.

Good proof of this is that, after more than five years of blockade by the General Council of the Judiciary, the country has asked the European Commission to act as a mediator to unblock the paralysis of the body of judges, one of the biggest pending issues. Spain on the rule of law.

The Community Executive continues to evaluate this request, which is unprecedented.

Just as its legal experts continue their analysis of the amnesty bill.

At the meeting held in PETI, the representative of the European Commission has not moved one bit from the established official position: Brussels will reveal its opinion once the legislative process in the Spanish courts is concluded and in the meantime he continues in direct contact with the authorities relevant.