Two months have already passed since the first meeting between the PP and the PSOE for the renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) with the mediation of the European Commission. There has been progress, and it is “very close”, according to the Commissioner of Justice, Didier Reynders, who insists that it is up to the parties to move to resume meetings, right now without any date on the agenda.
The European Commissioner is hopeful and, in fact, at the last meeting, which took place in Strasbourg, he emphasized that there had been “progress”. On this issue, he confirmed to the press yesterday in Brussels that he is “very close” to an agreement, but that he is waiting for a “political signal” from the two parties to meet again in three ways.
From Brussels they emphasize that the Belgian politician is fully willing, as has already happened in previous meetings, both at the headquarters of the Commission and in Strasbourg, and his availability to travel to the capital is also a sign of this Madrid
On March 27, Reynders was scheduled to travel to Madrid for a new meeting with the Minister of Justice and negotiator of the PSOE, Félix Bolaños, and the Deputy Secretary of Institutional Action of the PP, Esteban González Pons, but it was cancelled. The Commission and the PSOE assured that it had not been at their request, but of the PP, which asked for more time. A delay that coincided with the approval of the Amnesty law in Congress, now being processed in the Senate. At the moment, there is no date planned to see each other again.
The Community Executive in all its meetings has emphasized that the basis of the discussions is the report of the State of Law which urges to renew the CGPJ and, “immediately afterwards”, to reform the method of electing judges. A matter in which, precisely, both the PP and the PSOE collide. While the socialists consider renewal and for “later” the reform of the model to be urgent, the populists believe that both issues must be addressed at the same time.
Meanwhile, the calendar hastens. There are barely 20 days left until Reynders steps down as Justice Commissioner, as he will step down to defend his candidacy for the General Secretariat of the Council of Europe, a body that is not part of the EU. As indicated by the rules of the European Commission’s Code of Conduct, any member of the Executive who starts a campaign as an official candidate in another institution must leave the position through unpaid leave.
Therefore, April 25 is marked in red on Reynders’ agenda, with the hope that then the negotiation between the two Spanish parties will be unblocked. A deadline that has been extended by one more month than planned, instead of the initial March 31, at the request of the commissioner himself.
The busy electoral calendar in Spain, at a time of high political tension, with the electoral campaign in the Basque Country, which has just begun, with the elections scheduled for April 21, followed by Catalan elections, on May 12, and finally the European elections, on June 9.
The Commission accepted its role as mediator, proposed by the leader of the opposition, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and endorsed by Moncloa, with a limit of two months, which has already expired. Brussels is open to giving more time, but it would also not want to prolong the process.
