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Banned Catalan leader can't stand for EU Parliament either, says Spanish Court

April 6, 2017 04:24 PM | ACN

Spain's Supreme Court dismissed Francesc Hom's appeal on Thursday to the sentence which banned him from holding political office for having allowed a symbolic vote on independence in 2014. Homs was former Catalan President Artur Mas’right-hand man. Homs, who was an MP for Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT) in the Spanish Parliament at the time of the sentence had to leave his seat last week after the court banned him from holding public office for a period of 18 months. The magistrates have now added that he can’t stand for the European Parliament either, since the ban “applies to all areas”. Former Catalan President, Artur Mas and former Catalan Ministers Irene Rigau and Joana Ortega were also fined and banned from public office for the same case, which is regarded as a political action against Catalonia’s pro-independence aspirations.  

Italian MP, Marco Miccoli calls for finding “a political solution which meets Catalans’ demands”

March 7, 2017 02:38 PM | Sara Prim

The Italian Democratic Party MP, Marco Miccoli expressed in favour of finding “a political solution which meets Catalans’ demands” to overcome the current political deadlock between Catalonia and Spain. In an interview with CNA, Miccoli pointed out that the judicial way “doesn’t solve the problem from a political or historic point of view” but “only puts if off”, he said referring to the Spanish Government’s use of the court to stop Catalonia’s democratic demands. Miccoli also added that the EU “has a fundamental duty” regarding political conflicts such as that growing between Catalonia and the Spanish State and considered that an eventual intervention would have to be carried out with an “appropriate approach” aimed at “solving problems rather than throwing a spanner in the works”.