EU fails to condemn Spanish police violence

Despite images of brutality making many front pages around the world on Monday, the European Commission (EC) failed to condemn the violence by Spanish police at polling stations on Sunday. Calling on all sides to move “swiftly from confrontation to dialogue”, a short Commission statement declared the vote illegal and an internal matter for Spain. While the statement said that “violence can never be an instrument in politics” it also said: “We trust the leadership of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to manage this difficult process.”

Later in the day, EC spokesman Margaritis Schinas faced the press in a news conference, although he limited himself to reading out the statement. Asked about which violence the statement referred to, Schinas merely referred journalists to the memo. Nor was he more forthcoming when asked about a possible activation of article 7 of the European Union Treaty, which deals with the risk of a member state seriously violating human rights. A group of Podemos MEPs have sent a letter to the Commission asking the EC to look into whether there are grounds to invoke the article against the Spanish government. The letter will be answered “at the appropriate level,” said Schinas.

Juncker and Rajoy in touch

Schinas did confirm that Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, had been in contact with Spanish president, Mariano Rajoy, “over the weekend” and that the two plan to talk on the phone late on Monday. However, Schinas refused to answer repeated questions about how the EC would respond should Catalonia declare independence. Asked whether the EC might mediate in the conflict, Schinas said his organisation “has no role to play” and he again called on both parties to talk.

However, Schinas did not rule out the College of Commissioners debating the issue of Catalonia on Tuesday. With no specific agenda, the spokesman said “there is a possibility of discussing it.” Schinas also said that “if the Parliament decides to debate this issue, the Commission will participate at the appropriate level,” in reference to a question about left-wing groups tabling the issue of the police violence seen on Sunday in the next plenary session of the European Parliament.