Catalan separatists not quite welcome in the European Parliament (V2)
(B2) Catalan separatist MEPs were unable to register as new MEPs today
They were turned back on their arrival at the 'Welcome village' – where all new MEPs arriving at the European Parliament in Brussels present themselves. Reason: their names do not appear on the list transmitted by the Spanish government, because they have not taken an oath to the Spanish constitution as required by Spanish law.
Only problem, according to Europapress, the official list of the 54 deputies elected in Spain has not yet been communicated to the European Parliament, waiting for them to go to the central electoral council in Madrid to comply with the Constitution. And several Spanish deputies — such as José Ramón Bauzá (Ciudadanos, former People's Party), Diana Riba (ERC) and Pernando Barrena (EH Bildu) — were able to pass the 'Welcome village' course and obtain their provisional badge, although they did not complete this formality.
The explanation lies elsewhere according to the Catalans. " The Secretary-General of the European Parliament (1) has given instructions that neither Toni Komin, neither I nor Oriol Junqueras can complete the necessary formalities as MEPs. There is no legal reason. It is pure discrimination. All the other elected officials were able to fill out the paperwork that we were denied said Carlos Puigdemont, the Catalan independence leader. Comin and Puigdemont have fled Spanish justice since the holding of the referendum banned by the Constitutional Court on the independence of the Catalan Parliament.
The secretary general of the European Parliament has given instructions that neither @toni_comin, neither @junqueras ni jo puguem fer cap tràmit com a eurodiputats. Cap raó legal. Discrimination pura. Tots els altres electes han pogut fer els tràmits que a nosaltres ens han impedit. Vergonya! pic.twitter.com/xqwNWe2K0O
—Carles Puigdemont (@KRLS) May 29, 2019
Spain's new MEPs should not have received a provisional badge
On the side of the direction of the Parliament, one admits an error… but not that to which one thinks. Je understand that this administrative practice may cause political unrest in Spain, where the election results are not final and the count is still in progress » writes the President of the Parliament Antonio Tajani in an email addressed to several MEPs including Esteban Gonzales Pons (People's Party / EPP), Irate García-Pérez (PSOE / S&D), Javier Nart (Ciudadanos), and reached B2. « Therefore, in order to avoid any interference in a national procedure, I have instructed the Secretary General to suspend the accreditation of all new Spanish members until Parliament receives official notification from the Spanish authorities. And the outgoing President of the European Parliament to assume his new policy: In order to ensure equal and fair treatment, I have also instructed the Secretary General to suspend the provisional accreditation which may already have been granted to other new Spanish members. »
(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)
NB: Article 224 of the electoral code provides that " dan the five days following its proclamation, the elected candidates swear or undertake to respect the Constitution before the Central Electoral Council. After this time, the Central Electoral Council will release the seats corresponding to the members of the European Parliament who have not complied with the Constitution and will suspend all the prerogatives which may correspond to them by reason of their position, until this formality is fulfilled.”
(1) Klaus Welle, member of the CDU
Updated with parliament's response
