07/07/2022 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 6 July, the General Court of the European Union ruled inadmissible the appeal of Catalan separatists Carles Puigdemont and Antoni Comín against the refusal, at the end of June 2019, of the former President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, to recognise their status as Members of Parliament and the rights associated with it (Case T-388/19) (see EUROPE 12270/16). According to the Court, the impossibility to sit in Parliament was due to a decision of the Spanish electoral commission considering their seats vacant because the two political leaders had not taken an oath to respect the Spanish Constitution, Parliament had no discretionary powers. The European judge is of the opinion that the Spanish authorities’ instruction is unassailable at European level and notes that, in the end, it did not prevent the two Catalans from exercising their mandate as MEPs from 2 July 2019, the constituent session of Parliament. See the judgment: https://aeur.eu/f/2jk (MB)