FILE PHOTO: Carles Puigdemont, leader of Catalan separatist party Junts and its secretary general Jordi Turull, make their way as Puigdemont returns to Spain from seven years of self-imposed exile despite a pending warrant for his arrest, during a welcoming event organised by his party in Barcelona, Spain, August 8, 2024. REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File Photo
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The EU Court of Justice has rejected an appeal by Catalan separatist leaders Carles Puigdemont and Toni Comin who both sought recognition as European Parliament members after being denied in June 2019, the court said on Thursday.
Despite being elected in the 2019 European Parliament elections, their status was eventually not recognised due to their failure to take an oath pledging to respect the Spanish constitution, a procedure normally done in person in Madrid, as is required of newly-elected MEPs ahead of taking up their seat.
