16/12/2020 (Agence Europe) – In an order made on Tuesday 15 December (Case T-24/20), the General Court of the European Union declared inadmissible the action brought by Oriol Junqueras against the European Parliament's finding in January 2020 (see EUROPE 12402/6) that his seat as a Member of the European Parliament was vacant after the Spanish electoral commission declared the Catalan separatist, who is currently serving a thirteen-year prison sentence for sedition, ineligible. It reiterates the fact that the European Parliament has no competence to review the decision of the authorities of a Member State declaring an individual to be ineligible to hold office as a member of the European Parliament under national law and the resulting decision that the seat is vacant, since the institution is merely informed of that vacancy (see EUROPE 12577/26). The President of the European Parliament, who is under no obligation to take action to confirm a MEP’s immunity, has discretionary powers in this regard. See the order: https://bit.ly/3akHSg2 (MB)