23/10/2020 (Agence Europe) – The European Commission said on 23 October that the suspension of a controversial judicial reform in Spain, which threatens the independence of judges, was “a step in the right direction”, commented Christian Wigand, a spokesman for Justice. The reform concerns the renewal by Parliament of 12 of the 20 members of the General Council of the Judiciary, an independent body responsible for appointing judges, which could have allowed those in power to choose judges close to them, according to AFP. “The Commission has expressed a clear position on the draft law, calling for a guarantee that the Judicial Council is not perceived as vulnerable to politicisation”, the spokesman said, referring in particular to a chapter of the report on Spain published on 30 September as part of the Commission’s first annual report on the Rule of law. (SP)