Several Vice-Presidents and Members of the Bureau of the European Parliament (Zdzisław Krasnodębski (ECR, Poland), Fabio Massimo Castaldo (EFDD, Italy), Sylvie Guillaume (S&D, France) and Pavel Telička (ALDE, Czech Republic)) have called European Parliament President Antonio Tajani to account following the suspension of accreditation for newly elected Spanish MEPs.
According to a series of emails read by EUROPE, these MEPs shared their dissatisfaction with colleagues and the President of Parliament. Responding to an email from a Spanish MEP who considered the decision to be perfectly “unfair and arbitrary”, Pavel Telička replied that he was not involved in the decision.
“I have not been a part of this decision-making and have not been asked to take a position on the issue. I hope that President Tajani will clarify this not only to you”, the Czech MEP wrote in an email dated 4 June. On Thursday 6 June, MEPs Fabio Massimo Castaldo and Sylvie Guillaume confirmed that the Bureau was never involved in the decision.
Parliament’s decision to suspend all accreditations on Friday 31 May (see EUROPE 12267/5) continues to make waves. This decision was taken following the suspension of the accreditation of Mr Carles Puigdemont and Mr Toni Comin. Both men must take an oath of office on the Constitution in Spain in order to be MEPs. However, returning to Spanish soil would expose them to the risk of being immediately imprisoned for having organised the referendum on Catalonia's independence.
Some Catalan political representatives have not hesitated to call on Parliament, as a sovereign institution, to ignore national rules (see EUROPE 12270/16). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)