Puigdemont attends event in France despite concerns over parliamentary immunity

Carles Puigdemont, currently an MEP for Junts and the Catalan president at the time of the 2017 independence referendum deemed illegal by Spain, is in Northern Catalonia, in the south of France, this Monday despite having lost parliamentary immunity following a European General Court ruling (EGC) in early July.

The politician, who refrained from attending the EU Parliament plenary sessions in Strasbourg last month to avoid a potential arrest, took part in the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of cellist Pau Casals' death at the Abbey of Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa alongside current president Pere Aragonès and former presidents Quim Torra, José Montilla and Jordi Pujol. 

This is his first time in France, far less tolerant of the independence movement than Belgium, where he resides, since the ECG ruling. 

Power struggle in Madrid

Both Puigdemont and Aragonès referred to the uncertain political situation in Madrid resulting from the hung parliament following the July 23 general election, making the potential support of pro-independence parties key to the Socialist acting prime minister Pedro Sánchez's future in Madrid.

"Nothing that Pau Casals did was thinking about him or looking for any personal way out for him, and we have the duty to continue doing the same," Puigdemont told those in attendance. 

It is his "duty" to find solutions "for our country, our language, and our people" rather than "personal gain," he said.  

Aragonès, meanwhile, argued that now was the time to demand an amnesty and a referendum. 

"We've had to meet beyond the limits of the Spanish state because of the ongoing repression," he said, alluding to "the Spanish state's refusal to allow Catalonia to freely decide its future."

Renewed extradition attempts?

In late July, Spanish Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena, in charge of all independence-related proceedings, announced he would not issue another arrest warrant for Puigdemont until the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) decides whether it will hear a potential appeal regarding his loss of parliamentary immunity, which could be temporarily restored in the meantime. 

Puigdemont has lived in Belgium since not long after the referendum, in late 2017, to evade prosecution in Spain. He has until September 15 to appeal the ruling. 

If the European court decides to uphold the ruling stripping him of his immunity, Llarena will issue a warrant for his arrest.

The judge also noted in his decision to delay issuing arrest warrants that the next European elections are in June 2024, by which time Puigdemont may no longer be an MEP. 

Llarena's decision came days after the Spanish public prosecutor's office requested new European arrest warrants for both Puigdemont and fellow Junts MEP Toni Comín.