Emotions ran high in the Strasbourg hemicycle on Wednesday as EU lawmakers clashed over Spain’s controversial amnesty law, part of a political deal with Catalan separatists to make Pedro Sánchez prime minister.
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00:00 The controversy over the Spanish amnesty law for Catalan independence-related crimes has
00:06 arrived at the European Parliament.
00:11 Two political groups, the EPP and Renew Europe, requested a debate Wednesday focusing on what
00:16 they consider to be rule of law breaches.
00:19 While they insist that the Spanish government's legitimacy is not being questioned, they say
00:23 that the amnesty law might end the separation of powers in Spain and undermine its judicial
00:28 independence.
00:29 "That's why we are worried about some of the developments.
00:32 What we need is to keep rule of law high, not only in the Eastern European countries,
00:36 but also in the so-called Western and Classical Europe countries.
00:40 And it's obvious that Sanchez is doing this only to get the votes, the seven votes from
00:45 Puigdemont to govern the country.
00:47 So it's about his personal egoism."
00:49 The European Commission is currently evaluating the law and will meet a Spanish representative
00:53 next week to discuss the text.
00:57 CDA-REN, as the commissioner in charge of the analysis, says that the assessment will
01:00 be independent and objective.
01:04 For the socialists, it's just another political battle for the EPP group.
01:09 They say that the text is a way of starting a process of national healing.
01:13 "Ladies and gentlemen, in the face of the greatest territorial crisis in Spanish democracy,
01:19 there are only two paths.
01:20 The failure of the imposition and the threat, or the path of dialogue, understanding and
01:25 reconciliation.
01:26 Mr. Bever, lying is not good.
01:29 And you have lied."
01:32 Born as a deal between Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and two Catalan pro-independence
01:36 parties to usher in his re-election, it's ended up sparking nationwide protests over
01:41 concerns that the country's rule of law is at stake.
01:46 The legislation will grant amnesty to all crimes related to the Catalan independence
01:50 movement between 2012 and 2023, and could benefit hundreds, including Carles Puigdemont,
01:56 the former Catalan president who fled to Belgium after the independence referendum.
02:00 [SWOOSH]