The EU envoy rules out sanctions for the judicial blockade but warns Spain that its reputation in the Union is at stake
It cannot be said that Didier Reynders’ visit to Spain was exactly a success. The European Commissioner for Justice flew back to Brussels this Friday empty-handed after three days of marathon meetings with all the actors involved.
Reynders has neither convinced the Government to commit to reforming the judiciary’s election system nor has he made a serious commitment from the Executive and the PP to unclog the CGPJ appointments. These days he has only heard vague promises of trying to reach an agreement and mutual reproaches between the two major parties, even in parliament, in a session in which the high-ranking EU official was the star guest.
And the fact is that not only has he not achieved any of the two main objectives of his visit, but he has also been scolded by the Government of Pedro Sánchez for having tried to present himself as a mediator between Moncloa and the PP, a role that It has greatly irritated the Executive, to the point that Reynderse himself has had to back down these days and insist that he has never intended to play that role of intermediary.
The last blow to the envoy from Brussels by the Government took place this Friday when the Ministry of Justice and other government sources ruled out having the slightest intention of touching the election system of the members of the General Council of the Judiciary. A full-fledged denial to the Belgian politician, who a few minutes earlier in a meeting with the press had claimed to have received a “genuine commitment” from all political forces to urgently renew the council and, “immediately afterwards”, face the reform of the system for electing members, so that it is the judges themselves who elect the majority of the members of the CGPJ, as the Commission has insistently demanded.
“Totally different”
Reynders -who this Friday concludes his visit with interviews with the president of the Constitutional Court, Pedro González-Trevijano, and the president of the Judiciary, Carlos Lesmes- made it clear to all the interlocutors that, despite everything, the European Commission is not considering, at least for the time being, sanctions against Spain for its delays in renewing the CGPJ. The envoy explained that Brussels considers the situation in Spain “totally different” from that of Poland and Hungary. «In these two countries there are regressions and going back (in the Rule of Law). They are implementing laws that distance them from European values. In those two states there are systemic problems,” Reynders explained.
The senior community official pointed out that Brussels has no intention of using “judicial and economic instruments such as the suspension of funds” against Spain because the Commission understands that the non-renewal of the Judiciary is not a challenge to the values of the Union, but a simple obstacle to an “improvement” of the system.
However, Didier Reynders made it clear that he considers that Spain’s refusal to comply with the Commission’s requests could seriously affect the country’s “reputation”, especially on the threshold of the European Presidency in the second half of 2023. “It is desirable show willingness to align with European rules. The presidency must set an example of the rule of law », he warned the Sánchez government. “It is important to show that at the beginning of such an important task as the Presidency you have been able to carry out the right path,” he insisted.
#Reynders #leaves #convincing #Government #reform #CGPJ #election