The Government vindicates the amnesty law after the ECJ ruling: "Perfectly legitimate"

The endorsement by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) of the amnesty law has been received by the independence movement as a boost for the norm promoted by the Government. The Grand Chamber in Luxembourg concluded this Thursday that the law is compatible with Union Law, understanding that it does not violate the principles of equality, does not affect European financial interests, nor does it conflict with community regulations on terrorism. Furthermore, it has considered legitimate the objective of contributing to political and social normalization in Catalonia, while rejecting the preliminary questions raised by the Court of Auditors and the National High Court.

After the resolution was known, the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolaños, defended that the ruling clears up any doubts about the legal fit of the norm. The socialist leader stated that "there is no longer any doubt" that the amnesty law is constitutional and fully compatible with European law.

Díaz and Puente vindicate the Executive's political commitment

The Second Vice-President of the Government, Yolanda Díaz, has interpreted the ruling as an endorsement of the strategy followed by the Executive to address the Catalan conflict. The leader of Sumar defended that the law is "perfectly legal" and maintained that the Government's commitment to resolving problems through "dialogue and agreement" is also "perfectly legitimate".

Through her social networks, Díaz also contrasted the parliamentary majority that supports the Executive with those who have questioned the norm. "There is a plurinational majority that advances and a blocking minority without a country project," she affirmed.

In the same vein, sources from Sumar have indicated that the amnesty constitutes "a legal tool to address a political conflict that should have been resolved from the beginning through dialogue". Likewise, they have maintained that "the attempts by the right-wing parties and a part of the judiciary to boycott this legislature by sabotaging" the measure "have failed".

Also the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, celebrated the resolution from Luxembourg and took the opportunity to direct his criticism against those who appealed or questioned the norm. In his opinion, the CJEU's pronouncement represents "another European ridicule" for the detractors of the amnesty, a setback that he described as "serious in itself" and also "for being repeated".

In a message posted on the social network X, Puente added that it would not be out of place for "democracy, which crossed the Pyrenees a long time ago, to reach all State institutions," a reflection that comes after the European court endorsed the compatibility of the law with community law.

Luxembourg endorses the objective of reducing political tension

The CJEU resolution considers that the amnesty pursues a legitimate objective by seeking "to reduce institutional and political tensions and facilitate a scenario of reconciliation" after the Catalan independence process.

Furthermore, the court rules out that the eventual disappearance of responsibility for expenses linked to the 1-O referendum or to the external action of the independence movement affects the financial interests of the European Union, as these are national resources and not community funds.

Although it introduces some nuances on the procedural application of the norm, especially in relation to the preliminary questions raised before Luxembourg, the ruling has been interpreted by the Government as a ratification of the legal and political foundations of the amnesty. A reading that Moncloa considers especially relevant after months of institutional and judicial controversy surrounding the measure.