MADRID, July 16 (AFP): The European Union’s highest court on Thursday upheld Spain’s controversial amnesty law for Catalan separatists, delivering a significant legal and political victory to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and reinforcing the government’s efforts to ease tensions following Catalonia’s failed 2017 independence bid.
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), based in Luxembourg, ruled that the 2024 amnesty law complies with European Union legislation and does not violate EU legal principles.
The amnesty law was introduced by Sanchez’s government to secure parliamentary support from Catalan separatist parties after Spain’s inconclusive 2023 general election, enabling him to remain in office while promoting political reconciliation in the northeastern region.
In its ruling, the court stated that “EU law does not preclude that amnesty law. That law seeks to reduce institutional and political tensions and to facilitate a scenario for reconciliation.”
The decision marks a symbolic victory for the Spanish government, which has consistently defended the legislation as a necessary step toward restoring political stability and national unity after years of division over Catalonia’s independence movement.
The law was strongly opposed by Spain’s conservative opposition parties, which argued that it undermined the rule of law and organized mass street demonstrations against the measure after its approval in parliament.
The ruling could also clear the way for the eventual return of former Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont, who has been living in self-imposed exile in Belgium since leading Catalonia’s unsuccessful independence referendum and declaration of secession in 2017.
However, Puigdemont still faces a separate embezzlement charge in Spain that is not currently covered by the amnesty law. Spain’s Constitutional Court is expected to decide in the coming months whether the amnesty should also apply to that offence.
The 2017 independence crisis triggered Spain’s deepest constitutional conflict in decades, leading Madrid to impose direct rule on Catalonia and prosecute several separatist leaders.
The latest ruling by the EU’s top court is expected to strengthen the legal standing of the amnesty law while supporting the Spanish government’s broader reconciliation strategy ahead of the country’s next general election, due by 2027.
