Brussels, 14/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - European Parliament President Nicole Fontaine was informed by letter on Friday by Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Pique of the opinion of the Spanish State Council according to which the request for the lifting of the EP parliamentary immunity coming from a Spanish court had to be forwarded to the EP by the Justice Ministry (see EUROPE of 12 May, p. 10 for the vote in the State Council).
A press release from Ms. Fontaine's private office states that the Spanish Government "has taken on board this opinion", and that the President of the Parliament notes that "the cautionary stance, exclusively based on legal considerations", that she adopted in the affairs of the request for the lifting of the parliamentary immunities of two MEPs members of Forza Italia, Silvio Berlusconi and Marcello Dell'Utri "is thus confirmed". According to Ms. Fontaine, the opinion of the State Council replaces the debate "to the only ground it should never have left and to which I have been constantly attached: that of the vigorous application of law". But stipulating that these requests "ought to have come from the Spanish Ministry of Justice, the State Council contributes in clarifying the specific nature of the mandates of MEPs and how they should be dealt with regarding the fundamental rights of their mandates. In this, it is in line with case law agreed in all Member States, except, as we stand for, Portugal", Fontaine concluded.