The European Commission shows its “concern” about the blockade situation and demands to change the election system to guarantee the independence of this body
The European Executive has demanded this Wednesday to Spain the need to renew “immediately” the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) and to carry out a reform in the system of election of its members. Brussels has shown its “concern” about the blockage situation in which the renewal process of this body finds itself, pending since 2018.
The unblocking of the CGPJ is a “priority” for the EU, which has called for a reform of the election system “immediately after” that renewal. It demands that “no less than half” of its members be chosen by the judges themselves to bring this process closer to European standards and “guarantee its independence” of the body in relation to the Spanish Government.
Brussels has already expressed on numerous occasions its frustration at the lack of renewal of the CGPJ. In September 2021, the Community Executive urged the PP and PSOE to end the immobility in the negotiations. In addition, the Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, called for the establishment of “a system of election of the judges who are members of the Council by their peers in accordance with European standards” through a “deep reform”.
This is stated by the European Commission in its annual report on the rule of law in the EU, which includes non-binding indications, but with which it intends to “encourage” the Member States to carry out reforms and improvements in their systems. In the case of Spain, Brussels insists that the statute of the Prosecutor’s Office must also be strengthened, to eliminate its dependence on the Executive and guarantee its “independence and autonomy”, decoupling the duration of its mandate from the period of the Government’s legislature.
#Brussels #calls #renewal #CGPJ #reform #election #system