Catalonia’s Puigdemont, Comin accredited to take up seats in European Parliament

Two pro-independence Catalan politicians received accreditation to sit as members of the European Parliament on Friday after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that Spain had no right to block them. Former Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont and his health minister Toni Comin arrived at the parliament in Brussels to collect their badges, AFP said.

Puigdemont and Comin were elected to the European Parliament in May, but they were unable to take office because they are living in Belgium and did not attend a Spanish swearing-in ceremony.

Madrid has accused them of sedition for their role in helping to organize a banned Catalan independence referendum in 2017.

On Thursday, the ECJ ruled that MEPs enjoy parliamentary immunity from the moment the results are known, and they should have been able to take their seats. If Spain wants to prosecute them, it must first make a case to parliament to strip them of this immunity.