Spanish parties try to veto Puigdemont's talk in European Parliament

Socialists, People's Party, and unionist Ciutadans argue former president planned to "overthrow Spain's constitutional order"

Catalan president Quim Torra and his predecessor Carles Puigdemont at the presentation for the Council for the Republic in Brussels on December 8 2018 (by Natàlia Segura)
Catalan president Quim Torra and his predecessor Carles Puigdemont at the presentation for the Council for the Republic in Brussels on December 8 2018 (by Natàlia Segura) / ACN

ACN | Brussels

February 14, 2019 01:27 PM

Three large Spanish parties opposing Catalan independence tried to veto a talk by former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont scheduled in the European Parliament for next Monday.

MEPs for the Socialists, the People's Party, and Ciutadans called on the chamber president, Antonio Tajani, to prohibit a conference by Puigdemont and the current Catalan president, Quim Torra, on the grounds that the former planned to "overthrow Spain's constitutional order."

They also stated that the Catalan politician "boasted repeated disobedience" towards Spain's Constitutional Court.

"Allowing Puigdemont's presence is not compatible with the noble role of the European Parliament as a referent of democracy and rule of law in force in the EU."