European Commission ‘looking into’ concerns about ‘rights regression’ in Catalonia

The European Commission is analysing the alleged “regression in democratic and civil rights in Spain” regarding Catalonia, the Catalan News Agency learned. President Jean-Claude Juncker’s office said that the commissioner for Justice, Věra Jourová, is “looking into” a request by the European Free Alliance party about the political conflict in Catalonia. The petition, expressed in a letter sent on March 28, urges “the European leaders and the EU institutions to stop ignoring” the situation, which “puts basic European values at stake.” It also “strongly denounces the judicicalization of politics as well as the prosecution of democratically elected political representatives.”

Five days after the imprisonment of some leaders, the letter was sent by the EFA’s president, François Alfonsi, and the addressees are the EU Council president Donald Tusk, the Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, and the European Parliament president Antonio Tajani. To all three, Alfonsi asked to “demand Spain to refrain from further repressive actions, to stop regression in democratic and civic rights and to engage in constructive dialogue.”