11/5/2017 Notesdecontext.

Departamentd'AfersiRelacionsInstitucionalsiExteriorsiTransparncia

Departamentd'AfersiRelacionsInstitucionalsiExteriorsi
Transparncia

Notesdecontext

08.05.2017

Memorandum #36

Catalan Parliament president's persecution continues

On14December2016SpainsConstitutionalCourtdecidedtosendtocourtsacaseagainst
CarmeForcadell,PresidentoftheParliamentofCatalonia.Thecasechargesthaton27
July2016PresidentForcadellcommittedneglectofdutyandcontemptofcourtby
allowingadebateandvoteontheCatalanparliamentapprovingtheconclusionsofa
parliamentarycommissioncreatedtostudyaconstituentprocessthatwouldshapea
futureindependentstate.Thestudyofapossibleconstituentprocessisjustoneoption
thatwasbeingstudieddemocraticallyandresponsiblybytheCatalanParliament.

ThechargesagainstPresidentForcadellstemfromnewhighlypoliticisedpowersgranted
totheConstitutionalCourtbySpanishGovernment.Accordingtothereform,the
ConstitutionalCourthastheabilitytogobeyondrulingonconstitutionalissues,andto
executetheirownrulingsviaordinarycourtsthatcanfineandsuspendpublicofficials
fromholdingofficeforyearsiftheydecidetheyfailedtocarryouttheConstitutional
Courtsrulings.Thismeansaseriousthreattotheseparationofpowersbetweenthe
ExecutiveandthejudicialbranchesoftheSpanishgovernmentthatisthefoundationof
theruleoflawinSpain.

PresidentForcadellwasfirstlycalledtotestifylastDecemberbeforetheHighCourtof
Justiceattheinvestigationphaseofthelegalprocessagainsther.Thousandsofpeople
fromcivilsocietyaccompaniedPresidentForcadelltocourt,carryingsignsthatdecriedthe
caseasanaffronttoCataloniasdemocraticinstitutions.Shestatedatthattimethatitis
herobligationtofacilitatedemocraticdebateinCataloniasparliament,sinceParliamentis
theplacewherepeopleexpectissuesofmajorimportancemustbediscussed.Shesaid
convincedshewoulddothesameagaintodefenddemocracyandCataloniasinstitutions.

On16February2017theHighCourtofJusticeaddedasecondcaseagainstPresident
Forcadellforallowinga6October2016parliamentaryvoteontworesolutionsaboutan
independencereferendum,aslongasmorethan80percentofCatalansfavordeciding
theirfuturethroughareferendum.80%ofCataloniascitizenssupporttheoptiontovote
democraticallyinareferendumonCataloniasfuture.Onthisoccasion,eventhemembers
ofproreferendumpartiesthatarepartoftheboardoftheParliamenthavealsobeen
chargedofdisobedienceandcalledtotestify.Thesepartiesrepresent83of135membersof
theParliament.

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11/5/2017 Notesdecontext.Departamentd'AfersiRelacionsInstitucionalsiExteriorsiTransparncia

PresidentForcadellhadtestifiedagainon8May2016beforethesamecourtonthenew
chargesofallowingavoteontworesolutionsdefendingareferenduminCatalonia.She
requestedapostponementbecauseofalackofsufficienttimetoprepareherdefence,with
lessthan7businessdaysbetweenthesummonsandhertrialdateasrequiredbythe
EuropeanCourtofHumanRights.Herrequestwasdenied.

Cataloniadefendthefreedomofspeechandthepoliticalcapacityofdemocratic
parliamentstodebateandvoteonpoliticalpositionsofanytype,sincedemocraticsystems
guaranteelegalprotectionfromprosecutiontomembersofParliamentforanyactionsor
opinionsexpressedrelatedtotheirposition.Currently,thisparliamentaryprotectionis
beingviolatedthroughtheactionscarriedoutbythePPGovernment.

ThiscausesaseriousdeficitintheSpanishdemocracyputtingatriskanydemocratic
projectinSpain.

15.03.2017

Memorandum #35

The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and Spanish Democracy

InOctober2015,theSpanishParliamentapprovedsolelywiththefavourablevotesofthe
PopularParty(PP)areformoftheLawoftheSpanishConstitutionalCourt(CC).This
measureledtheGovernmentofCataloniaandtheBasqueGovernmenttofileappealsof
unconstitutionalitywhichwererejected,althoughthreeoftheelevenjudgesoftheCC
presentedparticularvotesduetotheirdisagreementwiththemeasure.

Justthisweek,on13March2017,theEuropeanCommissionforDemocracythroughLaw
(TheVeniceCommission)oftheCouncilofEuropeissuedacriticalofficialOpinionabout
thereform.ItquestionsthereformofthelawofSpainsConstitutionalCourt,aswellasthe
followingaspects

Theproceduretoimposecoercivefines,whichshouldnotbeascribedtothe
ConstitutionalCourt,mustcomplywiththeguaranteesprovidedforinarticle6(rightto
afairprocess)oftheEuropeanConventiononHumanRights,somethingthatthe
currentlawdoesnot(Paragraphs48and49).
TheOpinionoftheVeniceCommissionnotesthattheallocationofpowerstothe
SpanishConstitutionalCourttoenforceitsownrulingsisanexceptionsincethese
functionsarenormallyattributedtootherpowersofthestate(Paragraphs71).
ThepowertoapplycoercivefinesshouldnotbeattributedtoaConstitutionalCourt
(Paragraph53).TheCommissionconsidersthisabilitytosanction,aswellasthe
capacitytosuspendpublicofficialsandcivilservantswhorefusetoexecutetheCourts
decisionsasproblematic(Paragraph73),especiallywhenitsappliedtodirectlyelected
officialsandtoMembersofParliament,becausethisaffectsthedemocraticmandate
giventothembythepeople(Paragraph74).

ThisOpinionhasarrivedatthesametimethattheformerPresidentofCatalonia,Artur
Mas,aswellastwoofhisministers,JoanaOrtegaandIreneRigau,havebeenfoundguilty

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