Catalan News Agency - Madrid challenges three more Catalan laws in the Constitutional Court
Madrid challenges three more Catalan laws in the Constitutional Court
CNA
Madrid (CNA).- The Spanish government has challenged
three more Catalan laws in the Constitutional Court, bringing to 30 the
number of acts passed by the Catalan government and Catalan Parliament
appealed so far. The Spanish executive, led by President Mariano Rajoy,
has decided to take to the Court the Law for Local Government, the Law
on Empty Houses and the Law on Equality between Men and Women. Once the
appeals, announced on Friday, are accepted by the Court, the laws will
be automatically temporarily suspended.
Despite the meeting between Mariano Rajoy and the Catalan President
Carles Puigdemont and their compromise to reduce the number of judiciary
conflicts between both administrations, the litigations between Madrid
and Barcelona not only continue, but increase. There are now 30 laws
being challenged in the Constitutional Court, most of them because
Madrid considers that Catalonia is acting beyond its recognised powers.
Besides this, the Spanish government also says it could challenge Law
24/2015 against evictions and energy poverty. A similar law was already
suspended by the Spanish Constitutional Court, but consumers are
protected by this one that is now, as well, under threat.
The Spanish Minister of Justice, Rafael Catalá, said in a press
conference in Madrid that they are “convinced” that the Catalan
government is legislating on issues that involve powers “reserved” for
the central government. According to Catalá, challenging laws in court
is part of “normal” institutional activities because the Spanish
government wants that “law, the Constitution and the power framework”
are respected.
The Catalan government spokeswoman, Neus Munté, regretted that they
only found out about the appeal “48 hours after the President meeting
with Mariano Rajoy”. In a press conference, Munté said the decision is
“an attack on local autonomy, on the equality between men and women and
on the empty property tax”. She argued that the law on Empty Houses
“intended to compensate” the Spanish government’s “inaction and its
failure to manage the problem”.
According to Munté, the decision by the Spanish government “deepens”
the “scepticism” of the Catalan Government about the possibility to
reach an agreement with Madrid. “We asked for more political solutions
and they’ve replied with more litigation”, she regretted. “This
reaffirms our commitment to continue with our road-map and protect the
social rights of the Catalan people”, she added, referring to the path
towards independence.
Carles Puigdemont and their compromise to reduce the number of judiciary
conflicts between both administrations, the litigations between Madrid
and Barcelona not only continue, but increase. There are now 30 laws
being challenged in the Constitutional Court, most of them because
Madrid considers that Catalonia is acting beyond its recognised powers.
Besides this, the Spanish government also says it could challenge Law
24/2015 against evictions and energy poverty. A similar law was already
suspended by the Spanish Constitutional Court, but consumers are
protected by this one that is now, as well, under threat.
The Spanish Minister of Justice, Rafael Catalá, said in a press
conference in Madrid that they are “convinced” that the Catalan
government is legislating on issues that involve powers “reserved” for
the central government. According to Catalá, challenging laws in court
is part of “normal” institutional activities because the Spanish
government wants that “law, the Constitution and the power framework”
are respected.
The Catalan government spokeswoman, Neus Munté, regretted that they
only found out about the appeal “48 hours after the President meeting
with Mariano Rajoy”. In a press conference, Munté said the decision is
“an attack on local autonomy, on the equality between men and women and
on the empty property tax”. She argued that the law on Empty Houses
“intended to compensate” the Spanish government’s “inaction and its
failure to manage the problem”.
According to Munté, the decision by the Spanish government “deepens”
the “scepticism” of the Catalan Government about the possibility to
reach an agreement with Madrid. “We asked for more political solutions
and they’ve replied with more litigation”, she regretted. “This
reaffirms our commitment to continue with our road-map and protect the
social rights of the Catalan people”, she added, referring to the path
towards independence.
Rafael Catalá, Spanish minister of Justice and Fátima Bañez, minister of Work (by ACN)
