The Spanish government, according to the Advocate General of the CJEU regarding the amnesty: "It is a resounding victory"

BarcelonaSatisfaction at Moncloa with the opinion of the EU Advocate General on the amnestyJust minutes after the ruling upholding much of the law was released, the Minister of the Presidency and Justice, Félix Bolaños, celebrated it in the halls of Congress as a "resounding victory," since the report, he pointed out, "clearly states" that the law "is in accordance with European law." Conversely, the People's Party (PP) believes the opinion of the Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) "warns of a violation of the rule of law," according to the conservative Deputy Secretary for Institutional Relations, Cuca Gamarra. From Junts, former president Carles Puigdemont, who is still awaiting the application of the amnesty, asserted that the ruling "exposes" the strategy to "block the application of the law," and the Secretary General, Jordi Turull, called on the Constitutional Court to enforce its implementation. Likewise, in ERC, the party's president, Oriol Junqueras, also awaiting the full implementation of the law, celebrated the decision while awaiting the final ruling from the CJEU. Referring to Puigdemont, but without mentioning him by name, Bolaños stated that today's move "is another step in applying the amnesty to all the leaders of the Process," and argued that it should be applied "particularly to its most prominent leaders." The minister asserted that the lawyer's conclusions "reiterate" the defense of constitutionality and conformity with European law maintained by the executive branch, and emphasized that the CJEU "completely refutes" the "falsehood" of the self-amnesty. The Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Administration, Óscar López, expressed a similar sentiment, stating that the amnesty law "will be implemented as normal." In this regard, the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, demanded that it be applied "swiftly and without subterfuge," and expressed his satisfaction with the resolution, which he described as a "significant step." He also called for "prudence" until the court issues its ruling. The Popular Party (PP) does not share this view, focusing on the part of the opinion that indicates the law is contrary to European legislation by restricting to two months the maximum period for the Court of Auditors to analyze an amnesty request from a defendant. While the report states that the law does not affect the EU's financial interests, defends the objective of social and political reconciliation, and denies that it constitutes a "self-amnesty," it does criticize this specific aspect. Therefore, the PP argues that the amnesty law "violates the rule of law in Spain and Europe." "These conclusions are extremely serious," noted Cuca Gamarra, who said she would await the final ruling from the CJEU. A decision that Vox has dismissed: "What European bodies say doesn't matter to us at all. We know what the coup-plotting criminals did," declared the leader of the far-right party in the Catalan Parliament, Ignacio Garriga.

Junts asks the Constitutional Court to enforce its application

Puigdemont has asserted that he "stood firm" against the "first draft of the amnesty law" because it "excluded people" and "left too many loopholes for the EU to overturn it one day," such as the inclusion of embezzlement. He thus criticized an alleged "instruction that some courts, like the Supreme Court, blindly obey," which he believes was orchestrated by Catalan Civil Society and Vox, in addition to the call from former PP president José María Aznar for "whoever can do something, to do it." Along the same lines, the general secretary of Junts, Jordi Turull, gave "a very positive assessment" because the ruling "leaves no room for doubt." At a press conference, Turull stated that it is "a small procedural step, but a great step for the return of the exiles and the application of the amnesty law to everyone," and from Congress, Míriam Nogueras indicated that, although the sentence must be awaited, the lawyer's opinion "brings us a little closer to amnesty."

With full confidence that the CJEU ruling will reflect the Advocate General's opinion, as is the case in the vast majority of instances, Turull urged the Spanish Constitutional Court to enforce the direct application of the amnesty because "there are no more excuses": "We hope the Constitutional Court takes note of this very clear report so that it resolves all the appeals and the..." However, he declined to "speculate" on when Puigdemont's return might occur and warned Spanish President Pedro Sánchez that this European opinion does not resolve the legislative deadlock: "It doesn't change anything because we voted for an investiture based on the amnesty law, and when you vote for a law, it's so that it is applied," he said.

ERC welcomes the opinion while awaiting the ruling

From ERC, the party leader, Oriol Junqueras, who is still waiting for the amnesty to be applied to him so he can be lifted from public office, celebrated the decision, considering that it "endorses the same arguments" that the Republicans had defended. "We hope that the Court of Justice of the EU will also confirm this when it finally adopts a definitive position," Junqueras said. For his part, Gabriel Rufián pointed out that the CJEU's ruling "should" open the door to amnesty for Puigdemont, although he stressed that there are "judges who are playing politics" and who "are applying not justice or legality, but vengeance." The member of Congress also applauded the CJEU's "common sense": "Putting people in prison or convicting them for a referendum has always been an outrage," he stated in the corridors of the lower house.