The Constitutional Court has unanimously endorsed the digital law decree of the Government of Pedro Sánchez to stop what is known as the Catalan “digital republic”.
Legal sources have informed EFE that the plenary session of the guarantee court rejected the Government’s appeal against the Royal Decree on digital security, which allows the Executive to intervene in digital services if they threaten public order, in one of the first votes. important meetings in which unanimity is reached with the new composition of the court.
Said decree was described by its critics as a “digital decree” and the ex-minister Jordi Puigneró called it “155 digital”. In fact, after learning of the TC’s decision, Puigneró himself has replied on his Twitter account that “as always, united against Catalonia” and has called on the Government to appeal the ruling to the European authorities.
The Government understood that the decree affected powers of the Generalitat in five areas: digital infrastructures and deployment of fiber optics; digital identity, deployment of digital administration, cybersecurity and public procurement.
The Council of Ministers gave the green light on October 31, 2019 to this Royal-Decree, the implementation of which was announced by Sánchez to stop the attempts of the independence movement to extend what is known as the Catalan “digital republic”.
It allows the Government, on an exceptional and transitory basis, to agree to the assumption by the General State Administration of the direct management or intervention of electronic communications networks and services in three certain exceptional cases: that may affect public order, public safety and to national security.
Parties like ERC and EH Bildu showed their opposition to it and called for its “immediate” repeal, considering that it put basic rights at risk. Several organizations in defense of digital rights, Internet users, consumers and lawyers also asked the Ombudsman to take it to the Constitutional Court, understanding that it affected fundamental rights, although this body rejected it because actions in this regard had been initiated by other entities.
