The possibility of former president Carles Puigdemont returning to Catalonia in the summer is fading. The reason is that the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has not yet communicated the date on which it will rule on the amnesty. The usual practice of this body is to give a month's notice, so that the Constitutional Court (TC) no longer expects a resolution on the preliminary questions regarding embezzlement before June. This European justice calendar complicates the prospects of the TC being able to resolve the Junts leader's appeal before the August holidays, as confirmed to ARA by various sources from the Constitutional Court.

Jordi Pujol i Soley will have to go personally to Madrid next Monday for a forensic doctor to examine him. If he gives the green light, Pujol will have to testify as a defendant in the trial against his family and several businessmen that has been taking place at the National Court for five months. In November, when the trial began, five forensic experts said he "is not in physical or cognitive condition" to be tried. Five months have passed and here we are again, the court wants to re-examine Pujol.Today the children are meeting with their lawyer, Cristóbal Martell, but there is nothing to be done to prevent the trip. In terms of cognitive abilities, Jordi Pujol is more or less the same as in November, although in an obvious process of regression. Consider that at the beginning of June, less than two months from now, he will be 96 years old. Apparently, Pujol does not understand why he was able to testify from home, remotely, when the trial began, and yet now they are making him go, even though, however old he may be, he understands that the images of him heading towards the Court and on the defendants' bench are very tempting.The question remains: why don't they want Pujol to testify telematically now? Why don't they trust what the forensic experts said in November? Because since November, Pujol may not have worsened, but he certainly hasn't improved. And why don't they send the forensic experts to Barcelona and examine him here? President Puigdemont yesterday cried out: “They can’t be more miserable”, he denounces. He believes that the National Court is seeking “scorn” and a photo to “humiliate not only a person, but above all what he represents”, and says that if it weren’t for his condition as an exile, he would have accompanied Pujol to Madrid “with great pleasure”. It is true that we saw Pujol not many weeks ago going to vote in the elections of Barça. And that he attends public events. But let's not be mistaken. One thing is to go to vote, which only requires a physical effort, and another is to sit in a trial in which you are accused and they ask for prison for you, and in which you have to defend yourself. Everyone who has spoken to Pujol says that he doesn't hear, that he makes them repeat the questions and that he asks you again something that you have only just answered him a moment ago.If we talk about justice, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office is asking for nine years in prison for the former Catalan president for the crimes of illicit association and money laundering. But you know what happens? That over thirty sessions, with 95% of the trial held, with expert and face-to-face testimonies, the former president's name has practically not even been mentioned. Therefore, and do not think that what I am about to say is an exaggerated pirouette, sending him to Madrid may also have another meaning (in addition to the mockery): that the judge may cover himself, may say that, after having him go there and have him examined by forensic experts, they are removing him from the case. In essence, it is quite possible that the court would prefer to say that they cannot judge him rather than having to acquit him, which, seeing how the trial has gone, would not be at all unlikely.Good morning.

Sant Jordi's Day. As is tradition, the streets of Catalonia become a hive of books, roses, and senyeras. And, in the midst of the great celebration of reading, a genre that tries to make a space for itself is politics: leaders often swap the lectern for the pen to fix their narrative or explain their "truth". Below, we analyze the list of titles that have been most purchased in recent years (since 2018), based on data provided by the publishing sector consulted by ARA, with a predominance of titles linked to the Procés.

The operation for the return of former president Carles Puigdemont to Catalonia has been simmering, so that since the end of last year it has already been closed and all logistical details have been meticulously planned. But firmly, following the model of the fleeting return of August 8, 2024, which was led by a small nucleus and in which the general secretary, Jordi Turull, and the vice-president, Toni Castellà, actively participated. As ARA has been able to ascertain, the details of the return are being kept with the utmost secrecy, but a series of elements are clear, such as "the key participation" of the government of October 1 in the return event, which will prioritize its own institutionalism for a president in exile. This will allow the reunion of essential figures from that executive, such as Oriol Junqueras, its vice-president, at a time when the pro-independence entities and the president of the Parliament, Carme Forcadell, were also fundamental.

"In this new phase, we do not think a Catalan unity government is convenient. We must consolidate the institutions and accustom the country to the presidency of the Generalitat, but the time has come to govern". He probably did not imagine he would do so for 23 consecutive years, but the day after the 1980 elections, a triumphant Jordi Pujol was already beginning to envision that his main mission should be the creation of autonomous Catalonia. This year marks 46 years since Pujol was invested president, and it so happens that he has now been out of government for as many years as he spent at the head of the Generalitat.

In an interview yesterday in La Vanguardia, the president of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo stated that Pedro Sánchez is delaying the application of the amnesty to Carles Puigdemont. It is not new. Before, Feijóo had already said that Sánchez has deceived Carles Puigdemont with the amnesty law.

Oriol Junqueras and Carles Puigdemont met a few days ago in Belgium. The leader of Esquerra Republicana (ERC) confirmed this on Wednesday in an interview on Cadena SER radio. Junqueras was at the European Parliament in early February, but at the time it was not reported that the two leaders met. However, Junqueras revealed on Tuesday that it was during his visit that he met with the Junts leader. "Yes, we met," he stated in the interview. The previous meeting between the two leaders had taken place a year ago in Waterloo.

The wind has paralyzed much of the country's activity..

Juntos, from its inception, aimed to downplay the Convergència ideology. With the PDeCAT as the direct heir of Convergència and the height of the independence movement, Carles Puigdemont envisioned a party that would be more of a mechanism for uniting pro-independence supporters than an ideological structure for confronting the left-right divide. But this founding objective of the 2017 candidacy has evolved over the years. This is not only due to the demise of the PDeCAT or the political normalization of Jordi Pujol, who had been publicly repudiated by a large part of Catalan society since 2014. The Convergència ideology has been revitalized within the Junts ranks, even penetrating the party leadership, albeit with certain limitations. Discreet meetings have even begun to be organized to emphasize the change of course, which, in fact, already began, especially after the party congress in 2024.

Last night, Carles Puigdemont exacted a significant price. As we explained yesterday, The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in his favor. (him, Comín, and Ponsatí) and established that the European Parliament stripped them of their parliamentary immunity with clear bias. The ruling states that the rapporteur in charge of investigating the Supreme Court's request was a Bulgarian MEP from the same political group as Vox, the party that acted as a private prosecutor in the trial of the Catalan independence leaders. This individual participated in an event entitled "Catalonia is Spain" in which he called himselfPuigdemont in prison"What happened yesterday doesn't happen very often, because the court has corrected the shortcomings in the European Parliament and the General Court of the European Union and told them to please do things properly. The president in exile celebrated it thus:"

On Tuesday I told you that the State must compensate for the damage that Renfe and Adif, as non-executive arms of the Ministry of Transport, were causing to the Catalan economy. We said that the commuter rail works aren't quick, fine, but the extraordinary financial compensation could be. Well, today it's news that The Government will demand that the State pay the bill for the railway chaos.What bill? Well, some items are very clear: the free commuter rail service decreed until the end of the month, or the cost of lifting the toll barriers on the C-32, or the cost of hiring information staff at the stations or buses and drivers for the commuter rail lines that now have to travel by bus.

The Constitutional Court is avoiding preemptively ruling on amnesty for Carles Puigdemont and, while studying the merits of the case, is refusing to lift the arrest warrant that prevents the former president of the Generalitat from returning to Catalonia as a free man. The Court rejected on Tuesday the precautionary measures requested by Puigdemont, Toni Comín, and Lluís Puig as part of their appeals for protection of fundamental rights against the Supreme Court's refusal to apply the amnesty law to them. The Constitutional Court considers that granting their request would result in a "disregard for the general interest," given that there is still an "open criminal case" concerning "serious crimes." Therefore, it is necessary to protect "the effectiveness" of the investigation led by Pablo Llarena, which "must take precedence" over the "prejudice" to the fundamental rights denounced by Puigdemont, Comín, and Puig. Furthermore, it argues that making a decision now "would amount to a premature resolution" of the substance of the matter and would imply a "premature judgment" on the application of the amnesty. The decision is thethe same one that took The Constitutional Court is currently reviewing the cases of Oriol Junqueras, Jordi Turull, Raül Romeva, and Dolors Bassa, who are demanding the lifting of their disqualifications, which are in effect until 2030 and 2031. Does this mean Puigdemont's return is delayed? The Constitutional Court is expected to make a decision on the merits of the case in the coming months, and a favorable ruling would open the door for the former president to return to the Principality. By then, the Court of Justice of the European Union is also expected to have ruled on the amnesty, after the Advocate General endorsed the law by the end of 2025. The Constitutional Court's final verdict will have to determine whether the alleged misuse of public funds by the October 1st government is upheld. Whatever the Constitutional Court decides, the ball will return to the Supreme Court's court, which has repeatedly ruled against it, arguing that Puigdemont and the ministers enriched themselves through the October 1st referendum because they did not cover their expenses with their own assets. It remains to be seen what the Supreme Court will do if the Constitutional Court contradicts its own doctrine.

Just hours after the First Vice President and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, explained the proposal for the new regional financing, Junts reaffirmed what it had been saying in recent months: who opposes the model agreed with Esquerra because it is not an economic agreement for CataloniaWithout the support of at least the Junts party, the agreement reached by the Socialists and Republicans will be worthless when it reaches Congress, where it will also face the certain opposition of the PP and Vox. Therefore, a two-pronged operation has been launched from Ferraz Street in Madrid and Calàbria Street in Barcelona to change the minds of the Junts leaders: on the one hand, they are being pressured ("When the time comes, they will have to decide whether the resources go into the pockets of Catalans or whether they keep the Ministry of Finance," immediately); and, on the other hand, attempts are being made to persuade them. The president of ERC himself explained this Monday that he has already contacted the Junts leader, Carles Puigdemont, to travel to Waterloo as soon as possible. From Moncloa Palace, the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, has also pledged to "go to the extreme" to change Junts' minds. "I appeal to them to think about the citizens," he added. It's a carbon copy of the message. to which the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, transferred, And that's what the Republicans and the Comuns repeated after meeting with the head of the Catalan government on Friday at the Palau de la Generalitat.

The published polls are not favorable to Junts per Catalunya. The latest CEO poll placed Carles Puigdemont's party as the third largest force in the Catalan Parliament, almost tied with Aliança Catalana (now the leading opposition party), while in Barcelona... municipal barometer predictions They're even worse.

In the first Christmas glass The meeting that Pedro Sánchez led at Moncloa Palace after the 2013 elections included a possible meeting in the informal talks: one between the Spanish president and former president Carles Puigdemont. In fact, this was the main topic of discussion, along with the possibility of a meeting with Oriol Junqueras. Two years after that first meeting input For "political normalization," only one meeting has taken place: that of the Esquerra leader this Thursday.

First came the pardons, then the amnesty and the governance agreements with the Catalan independence movement, and now comes the third step in the political normalization of Spain: Pedro Sánchez is opening the doors of La Moncloa (the Prime Minister's official residence) to the leaders of the independence movement. The first to walk through them will be, next Thursday, the president of the ERC (Republican Left of Catalonia), Oriol Junqueras, in a symbolic image that will also serve to confirm the reinstatement of the Republican leader as a key interlocutor for the Spanish government. Junqueras, vice president of the government that led to the October 1st referendum and a political prisoner for almost four years, will gauge the impact of such a meeting in the Madrid media.

The Public Prosecutor's Office has asked the judge who authorized the eviction of the former B9 Institute in Badalona to request explanations from the City Council, led by Xavier García Albiol of the People's Party, regarding what measures have been taken to protect the vulnerable people who were evicted. The Public Prosecutor's Office requested information "as a matter of urgency" about any incidents that occurred during the eviction and what the City Council did to protect the occupants of the premises until a week ago. Until a few weeks ago, approximately 400 people lived there, and nearly 100 have spent the last week homeless. Sources within the Public Prosecutor's Office, consulted by ARA, confirmed that the request was made through a report in the same legal proceedings in which the Administrative Court No. 11 of Barcelona authorized the eviction in early December. In the same court order authorizing the eviction of the occupants of building B9, the judge noted that the eviction would affect "people in highly vulnerable situations," and therefore warned that it would be necessary to take "the measures foreseen in the municipal services' protocol for assisting homeless people and provide them with emergency social assistance." From the very day of the eviction, however, Albiol publicly stated that he did not want to spend "a single euro" to house those evicted and has repeatedly rejected the reopening of the Can Bofí Vell shelter, which has been closed for two years due to alleged deficiencies and which some of those evicted occupied this week. The court order authorizing the eviction also requested a report "as soon as possible" on "all the measures adopted" to address the social emergency. It is based on this order that the Public Prosecutor's Office is now going to the court to request this information from the Badalona City Council. The judge will be responsible for requesting the aforementioned explanations from the council.

One of Alberto Núñez Feijóo's biggest blunders since becoming leader of the PP came during last year's Galician elections: in his home region, relaxed, in an informal meeting with journalists, he verbalized the conditions for pardoning Carles Puigdemont. A few days later he backtracked: "I do not accept pardons, nor will I." Feijóo has demanded Puigdemont's arrest, but he has also congratulated him on favorable court rulings; he has asked for his help in ousting Pedro Sánchez from La Moncloa, even admitting to "indirect contacts" with the Junts party, while at the same time criticizing the PSOE for negotiating with them, and he has taken advantage of the situation to add the PP's votes to those of Junts when it has been necessary to defeat the Spanish government. These seemingly contradictory moves make sense, given that Junts' votes became essential for forming majorities in Spain. Without Puigdemont, the PP can't get anything done for now. Neither can the PSOE, whose past statements, if you look back at the archives, reveal a string of similar compliments and insults directed at the former president of the Generalitat. With these ingredients, curious episodes like this week's occasionally arise, when both the PP and PSOE not only negotiated with Junts but also approved in Congress an initiative to toughen penalties for repeat offenders, a law that will need to be ratified soon. The PSOE's reasons for coveting Puigdemont are clear. Junts has announced its break with the Spanish government, and without them, neither the budget nor any other relevant legislation will pass. Nor will Podemos. For days now, the Spanish president himself has been announcing concessions to Junts and agreeing with their grievances. Another strategy by Sánchez to try and prevent the legislature from completely derailing, a strategy that Junts doesn't quite trust.

The Spanish legislature didn't have a single peaceful day. Pedro Sánchez had to maintain the delicate balance of his coalition partners, knowing that, more than a positive majority that would allow him to govern, it was always a majority meant to prevent a right-wing alternative.

That same Tuesday, just minutes after Pedro Sánchez came out and admitted he hadn't honored the agreements with Junts, thus contradicting himself and siding with Junts, I told them that the implicit message of the Spanish president's words to Junts was that, now that Carles Puigdemont's return was so imminent, they shouldn't break off the process. That, now that the PSOE's commitment to amnesty was closer to becoming public knowledge, Junts had reason not to get everything moving again.