The Belgian Liberal Didier Reynders has brought forward the start of his leave by ten days as Justice Commissioner in Brussels to focus on his campaign to take over head of the Council of Europewhich leaves in the air the mediation that had been assumed between the Popular Party and the PSOE to try to unblock the renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ).
This is what he himself has communicated on his official account on the social network. X without giving more details about the reasons for bringing forward his departure from the Community Executive of Ursula von der Leyen nor clarify who will take overalthough community sources indicate that her portfolio remains in the hands of the vice president of the rule of law, the also liberal Vera Jourova.
The same sources specify, however, that in the mediation exercised by Reynders “there are no automatisms” and that “It is up to the Spanish to see if they want to continue» with the structured dialogue established by Brussels after Von der Leyen herself gave the green light for the establishment of this unprecedented format to resolve a national policy issue.
Thus, the Belgian politician puts aside his task as Justice Commissioner for the compete for the general secretary of the Council of Europe (a body outside the EU but which the community institutions listen to to set standards on the rule of law).
In any case, the European Commission has already made it clear that although Reynders initially gave a period of two months to PP and PSOE to reach an agreement – a deadline that expired at the end of March – the mediation could continue beyond that date and even beyond the departure of the commissioner, as long as there were still options and a willingness to reach an agreement.
In statements to the press at the beginning of April, Reynders warned the parties that it was their turn to show political will to agree to resume “the three-way discussion” but that first “it is necessary for the two parties to talk to each other.” “I hope that is what is happening in Madrid,” confided the commissioner, after emphasizing that remained open to dialogue despite the cancellation of the last meeting.
Reynders had planned to have traveled to Madrid on March 27 to participate in a new meeting with the negotiators of the PSOE and PP – the Minister of Justice, Felix Bolañosand the vice-secretary of Institutional Action of the PP, Esteban González Pons, respectively. However, The commissioner postponed the meeting without a date at the last minute at the request of the ‘popular’ and after verifying that the parties needed “time.”
Since then, the commissioner did not have any further contact with the parties and did not consider taking the initiative because he understood that It is up to PSOE and PP to take the step of “requesting a new meeting”as indicated by community sources.
In his statements, the commissioner on leave insisted that “it is necessary for the parties to agree so that progress can be made” and recalled that the basis of the structured dialogue are the annual recommendations on the rule of law that for two years have urged Spain to renew the CGPJ as a “priority” and to undertake “immediately afterwards” the reform of the system of election of members.
Although both PSOE and PP emphasize their willingness and will to resolve the ‘impasse’ in which the governing body of the judges finds itself, they continue to clash over the times since while the socialists only see urgency in the renewal – and talk about leaving for “later” the reform of the model -, for the ‘popular’ it is essential that both issues go hand in hand.
