Ramon Espadaler: "Isla represents today something similar to what Convergència used to be."

The same week as the Constitutional Court has endorsed the amnesty law in the Process And a few days before the official launch of the transformation of the judicial system, ARA interviews the Minister of Justice and Democratic Quality, Ramon Espadaler.

The Constitutional Court has definitively endorsed the amnesty. What do you think?

— This is excellent news. The only authority that can determine whether the law is constitutional or not concludes that it is. The only thing missing now is for the Supreme Court justices to apply it.

Do you think they will?

— There are many factors that indicate that this may not be the case, but the legislator's intention is very clear and explicit.

When do you see Puigdemont returning?

— I would like this to happen as soon as possible, and I understand that you are already making the request once the constitutionality of the amnesty law has been endorsed.

Do you think the Supreme Court is breaking the law?

— The signs that have been given are of reluctance to comply, but now that we have the constitutionality of the text, I insist, it should comply with the legislator's will.

Do you think there are judges who engage in politics?

— Everyone should do their part. It's not the realm of politics to dictate what judgments judges should make, but it is the realm of parliamentary politics to legislate, and it's the realm of judges to apply this legislation.

Pedro Sánchez says that with this approval from the Constitutional Court, the political crisis is over. Do you agree?

— To a large extent, yes, but that doesn't mean that a feeling or a demand, which are two perfectly legitimate things, has disappeared. It's positive to be able to have these debates in politics, where they should never have emerged.

Let's focus on the functioning of the justice system. One of the endemic problems is its slowness. The efficiency law, which should improve the situation, will be implemented in a few days. What does it entail?

— We will move from working with judges as silos—with a judge, a government lawyer, and a team of civil servants at their service—to working with lower courts. There will be different sections, headed by judges, and a judicial office staffed by government lawyers and officials from the Generalitat (Catalan Government) who will serve them.

What do you gain?

— Greater efficiency. Workloads can be distributed differently. Confidentiality and security.

And are you ready for it to come into effect next Tuesday?

— Yes, it will be ready. The law is so complex that it is being implemented gradually, and this Tuesday it will be implemented in smaller judicial districts. We have adapted the spaces and are aligning the judiciary, administrations, and public officials to serve a law that aims to bring justice once and for all into the 21st century.

Doesn't it seem strange to be in the 21st century when courts still operate with pens and paper?

— Some, not all. But it's true that there are still duties to be fulfilled, especially in the criminal justice system, and we're beginning to do so. The law will be implemented gradually. The transformation process isn't easy.

He told me that the spaces in the buildings have been adapted, that everything is ready.

— I'm not able to give you the figures right now; we'll provide them precisely in Parliament. The biggest budgetary impact will be on the higher courts, which won't be affected this year. For this year, everything is more than guaranteed.

The law's entry into force coincides with a possible strike by judges and prosecutors. Do you share their demands?

— I respect that, but as the General Council of the Judiciary has rightly stated, the right to strike [of judges] is not regulated. In that sense, I would be very cautious. It also remains to be seen, if it does end up being regulated, what impact the strike will have globally and in Catalonia. What I am sure of is that it will have no influence on the entry into force of the new law.

We're talking about multiple repeat offenders. They've made efforts to reduce the time it takes to go to trial. But a multiple repeat offender who commits a crime today doesn't go to trial until January or February 2026.

— That's why it's important to have more judges. We've reached an objective point of collapse; we all agree with the diagnosis. That's why the first thing we've done is tackle the multiple reoffending rate in Barcelona with five new courts. But we've agreed with the Spanish government that we must reach the Spanish average. In practice, this means we're short between 65 and 70 judges.

They've already agreed to come. When will they arrive?

— From the end of the year to the end of 2027. We're making up for lost time.

Is this figure at risk if the legislative term is not completed?

— I think the legislature has elements of continuity, and if there were a change, I would be very surprised if the first thing done was to turn off the tap on appointing the judges who are needed.

Sijena case. We're awaiting the experts' report. What happens if the report says the transfer can't be done without damaging the works?

— These terms will have to be communicated to the judge and alternative solutions will be found, which I don't know what they are. It's a debate that must be viewed from a technical perspective.

What if the judge says it should be done anyway?

— Every step in its own time. It's being studied from a technical perspective, without political interference, and we should let things happen and see how this evolves within the appropriate timeframes, providing sound technical arguments.

Within your department, there are also religious affairs. How do you view the coexistence of religions today?

— We have bodies, such as some interfaith councils, where dialogue works, and this is positive. The Directorate General for Religious Affairs, among other things, mediates in cases such as the pre-establishment of a place of worship in a town hall because a group of residents don't want it. We are currently working on a protocol to guarantee the fundamental rights of religious assistance in the hospital setting for the various denominations.

Religious issues have caused tension in Parliament. A few weeks ago, the Catalan Alliance presented a proposal to ban the veil in public spaces. What do you think?

— I stated that, if the veil was a free decision of a woman based on religious belief, we are in the realm of fundamental rights. Not only because we don't have the authority to legislate it, but because I believe they are rights that must be preserved. Where should we regulate? Catalonia has a reasonably good resolution. In the field of education, it is regulated, as well as in the field of health. And in the field of work, there are very clear rulings on the fact that these rights must be preserved and made compatible. I wouldn't elevate this to the level of a problem, because the resulting expression of all this is an increasingly Islamophobic expression, and that doesn't help us in our coexistence.

Regarding religion, still. At one point, there was talk of even having the Pope visit the monastery of Montserrat for its millennium. Are efforts being made in Catalonia to make this happen?

— It's a hypothesis on the table, but no formal invitation has been made. The Pope has just arrived. The government hasn't made any requests yet, but I think the time will come and it will be done.

Current events are the order of the day, and I can't let you go without asking you about the Cerdán case. Have the explanations provided by the Socialist Party been sufficient?

— The reaction has been swift and devastating, and this path must continue. Many of us, whether or not we are members of the Socialist Party, feel deeply disappointed and outraged.

Can Sánchez finish his term?

— I'm working with the hypothesis, and the president tells us so, that we have a legislative term ahead of us. There will be a lot of noise, there will be many issues to resolve, but we can't be distracted from what I believe the citizens expect from the Catalan government, which is that it addresses education, justice, health, etc.

You're currently a minister in a PSC government, but you were a prominent leader of Convergència i Unió. Does the PSC represent anything similar today to what it once represented in Convergència?

— I think President Isla, in particular, truly represents it. I meet people who tell me: "I voted for President Isla, and I'm not a socialist." He's an ideological foundation that can be worked on. I think what unites us is that neither of us thinks the market fixes everything; on the contrary, we often have to intervene in the service of the general interest and the common good, but there is also a way of doing things. He's a socialist, ...