Sánchez and Feijóo agree to negotiate the renewal of the CGPJ with European supervision, says the PP

The leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, have agreed to renew the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), which has expired for five years with European supervision, according to PP sources, after both met this Friday.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
21 December 2023 Thursday 15:22
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Sánchez and Feijóo agree to negotiate the renewal of the CGPJ with European supervision, says the PP

The leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, have agreed to renew the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), which has expired for five years with European supervision, according to PP sources, after both met this Friday. leaders in the Congress of Deputies for almost an hour and a half. There has also been an agreement to reform article 49 of the Constitution in January, to eliminate the diminished term.

Sources from the PP have assured after the meeting that Feijóo has offered Sánchez to agree that the European Commission supervise the negotiations and the agreement to renew the CGPJ with independent profiles and change the law that regulates the system of election of the members of the governing body of the judges and that the head of the Executive "has shown himself willing to accept this model.

According to the PP sources consulted, the figure of European supervision tries to "guarantee that all the conditions required by the European Union are met." It would therefore be someone from the European Commission, since, say the same sources, "both the PP and the Government are already holding regular separate meetings with the responsible commissioners to address this issue" and it would be a matter of ensuring that these meetings continue to be held. "but with all three parties present."

The PP tries to separate this proposal from the figure of an international mediator, which it has criticized so much in the conversations between the PSOE and Junts, and emphasizes, to this end, that "the European Commission is a Spanish institution, given that the EU is a depositary of national sovereignty". Furthermore, the work system proposed by the PP would involve "three-party meetings in Spain", and the presence in them of "community public authorities with an incontrovertible profile."

Alberto Núñez Feijóo has not vetoed anyone to be part of this negotiation, but according to the sources consulted, he has asked Sánchez to reflect on the Government's interlocutor being the Minister of the Presidency and Justice, Félix Bolaños, as until now, now that the PP lost confidence in him when they felt deceived when the dialogue broke down, because the minister assured them, even in writing, that the Government did not intend to abolish the crime of sedition. His presence, in the opinion of the PP, would not favor dialogue. For the PP, the interlocutor will continue to be Esteban González Pons, and regarding supervision, it would be the Commission that will appoint the person, although Feijóo expressed his willingness to appoint the commissioner of justice, Reydners.

The president of the PP, in a press conference, wanted to distance this European supervision from the mediator used by the PSOE and Junts for their negotiations. "If the Government's partners do not trust the Government, it is very difficult for the opposition to trust the Government", hence the need for this supervision and he asked for "respect for the European Commission", which in his opinion "is a Spanish institution" , since there is a lot of Spanish sovereignty ceded, and it is a European institution, "which is not comparable with the mediator appointed by Junts and the PSOE, a Salvadoran expert in armed gangs." The European Commission, Feijóo stressed at a press conference, "is responsible for auditing that the rule of law is complied with in Spain, and that the independence of judges is guaranteed" and that it will be "looking askance," he said, at the law. of amnesty.

Feijóo assured that Sánchez also promised not to change the majorities required for the election of the members of the General Council of the Judiciary, and that he had no intention of changing the number of members of the Council elected by Congress and the Senate.

Pedro Sánchez and Alberto Núñez Feijóo also agreed to modify article 49 of the Constitution, to replace the term diminished with that of person with disabilities, which will be done through a bill signed by the PSOE and the PP, with the commitment that The amendments that are included are only if they are accepted by both parties, and in no case will there be a referendum.

To all the other PP proposals, according to Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Pedro Sánchez said no to withdrawing the amnesty law, no to having information about the PSOE and Junts meetings in Geneva; not to withdraw the motion of censure in Pamplona; not to veto the proposals to eliminate the glorification of terrorism from the Penal Code"; no to not continue with the appointment of the Attorney General, to execute the ruling of the Supreme Court on the president of the Council of State; or to not continue with the appointment of the president of EFE.

Alberto Núñez Feijóo asked Sánchez about his intention to transfer 100% of the taxes to Catalonia, discussed in the meeting with Aragonès, but the President of the Government did not answer him or clarify the terms, from which he deduced that there is that possibility. .