The draft Amnesty Law and its impact on the rule of law comes to the heart of Europe amid great expectations. The Strasbourg plenary session is holding a debate on Wednesday on “Threats to the rule of law as a consequence of the government agreement in Spain” with positions becoming inflamed. In the Conference of Presidents it was approved by all groups except the Social Democrats, Greens and the Left. “The European Socialists have the opportunity to show that the defence of European values is above their ideology and their partisan and personal interests,” said Dolors Montserrat, leader of the PP in Europe.
The pressure is being transferred to European social democracy. The eve of the debate confirmed the dispute. The Ciudadanos delegation, led by Adrián Vázquez, sent a letter to all Socialist MEPs: “Raise your voice and use your influence to defend the rule of law and the values of the EU as we have done together in Hungary and Poland”. Many people ask us, in good faith, what is going on in Spain. They don’t understand how they have to call a partner a fugitive. Nor that their Spanish partners are selling them impunity for seven votes”.
Next week, Félix Bolaños, Minister of the Presidency and now also Minister of Justice, will meet in Brussels with Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice, and Vera Jourová, Vice-President for Values and Transparency, to calm the waters. Both come from the centre-right.
If the PP’s strategy in Brussels has been to Europeanise the government pact, the PSOE’s strategy has been the opposite: to convey to EU institutions that this is an internal matter that is compatible with EU values and legislation. “The debate is not to question the legitimacy of the Sánchez government, which has received the support of Congress. The aim is to sound the alarm so that the Commission keeps a close eye on what Sánchez is doing and what he is going to do. And so that the Commission is ready to act,” Montserrat told a press conference in Strasbourg on Tuesday.
