On Friday 26 January, the European Commission announced its willingness to supervise dialogue between the two main Spanish political parties - the Partido Popular (PP) and the Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) - with a view to overcoming the deadlock over the renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary (see EUROPE 13304/7).
The aim of this unprecedented initiative is to bring Spain back into line with EU law, as the non-renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary has had a negative impact on the functioning of the Spanish Supreme Court.
The European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, proposed to the parties that the first session of the dialogue should take place on Wednesday 31 January in Brussels, with the dialogue to be chaired by the Commission and last no longer than three months, according to a Commission spokesman, Christian Wigand. He noted the willingness of both parties, whose support is needed to reach a decision, to resolve the dispute, while warning that the EU institution’s involvement will be based on compliance with the recommendations set out in its annual reports on the rule of law.
The Commission has asked Spain to renew the General Council of the Judiciary, in its reports on the state of the Rule of law published in 2022 and 2023 (see EUROPE 13216/8). (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)