Catalan separatist MEP Carles Puigdemont was arrested on arrival at Alghero airport in Sardinia on Thursday 23 September, the head of his cabinet, Josep Lluis Alay, said on his Twitter account, yesterday evening.
Mr Puigdemont was travelling to participate in a cultural festival and to meet with Italian politicians, including the President of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, as well as the Catalan Ombudsman.
On Friday, the Catalan politician was presented to the judges of the Court of Appeal of Sassari, who had to decide on his extradition to Spain, where he is expected to be tried on charges of sedition following the organisation, at the end of 2017, of an illegal referendum on the independence of Catalonia, of which he was one of the main instigators (see EUROPE 11880/1). According to the Spanish national press, Italian judges have decided not to extradite the MEP.
European Commission still silent
Questioned by journalists at the midday press briefing on Friday 24 September, the European Commission spokesperson did not wish to comment, respecting the independence of national judicial authorities.
On the European Parliament’s side, there were many reactions, often contradictory. MEP François Alfonsi (Greens/EFA, French) strongly condemned the arrest. “Italy flouts European legality with the arrest of Carles Puigdemont. We demand his immediate release!”, said the Corsican MEP on his Twitter account.
On the contrary, Dolors Montserrat (EPP, Spain) welcomed the arrest on her Twitter account. In her view, Mr Puigdemont must answer to Spanish justice. “In the EU, there is no room for impunity for those who attack the rule of law”, she wrote.
For this MEP, the European legal order must also be applied to the crimes of rebellion and sedition (the charges brought by the Spanish justice system against Mr Puigdemont), referring explicitly to the political work of her colleague Javier Zarzalejos (EPP, Spain), who has defended a report on the implementation of European arrest warrants.
This is not the first time that Mr Puigdemont has been arrested by the national authorities of a Member State. In 2018, he narrowly escaped extradition after being intercepted in Germany (see EUROPE 12066/31). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)