PSOE and PP postpone their second meeting with Reynders to the 19th to unblock the CGPJ due to Pons’ illness

PSOE and PP have agreed to postpone to Monday, February 19, the second meeting that both parties agreed to hold in Brussels under the mediation of the European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, to try to unblock the renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), which accumulates five years with the mandate expired. The reason, as reported this Saturday by the PP, is that its deputy secretary of Institutional Affairs and representative at these meetings, Esteban González Pons, has been suffering from fever caused by influenza A since Thursday morning. The PP has indicated that yesterday afternoon They communicated this circumstance to both Commissioner Reynders and the Minister of Justice and PSOE interlocutor, Félix Bolaños, “with the intention of postponing the Brussels meeting” that had been set for Monday the 12th, “given the possibility that his indisposition persists and so that they do not keep their agendas blocked. The ‘popular’ have reported that the three parties have agreed to meet next Monday the 19th, also in Brussels and “in order to continue trying to guarantee the independence of the Spanish Justice.” CHECK IF THERE HAS BEEN PROGRESS SINCE THE FIRST MEETING On January 26, the European commissioner informed the two parties that he accepted the request to mediate between them to find a solution to the blockade and after the first meeting, which took place in the community capital On January 31, “all parties clearly committed to collaborating to guarantee the application of the Commission’s recommendation,” calling them to a second meeting in which to “take stock” of the progress, according to Reynders in a statement. The recommendation to which the commissioner refers is the one that appears in the 2022 and 2023 editions of the annual report on the Rule of Law in the countries of the European Union and which, in the case of Spain, calls for “proceeding as a priority “to the renewal of the governing body of judges” and to begin, immediately afterwards, the “process” for the reform of its appointment system to align with European standards that defend an election among peers. The times to comply with the process are one of the main points of friction between the Government, which maintains that “the urgent thing” is to renew the CGPJ and that once this phase is over, it will be possible to “talk about other matters”, in the words of Bolaños. days before the first meeting with Reynders, and the Popular Party, for whom it is imperative that both the renewal and the reform of the model for electing the organ’s members go hand in hand. In any case, Reynders has already warned both the ‘popular’ and the socialists that he will not mediate indefinitely, so “this dialogue should not exceed two months.” The Belgian liberal also aspires to be elected secretary general of the Council of Europe, a body outside the European Union, next spring, which will force him to step down from his commissioner seat in May, if he passes the first formal cut. selection in Strasbourg.