The European Union’s Court of Justice ruled on Thursday, July 16, 2026, that a Spanish law granting amnesty to individuals involved in Catalonia’s separatist movement does not violate EU law. The court stated that the adoption and application of the amnesty fall within the competence of member states, thereby upholding the Spanish government’s position.

The amnesty law, introduced in 2024 by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialist Party government, aimed to reduce institutional and political tensions and facilitate reconciliation by extinguishing criminal liability for those involved in the Catalan independence drive. One judge noted that the court “does not oppose a law which, in order to reduce institutional and political tensions and facilitate a process of reconciliation, provides for the extinction of criminal liability.”

This legislation marked a turning point following Spain’s worst political crisis in decades. The crisis began after Catalan pro-independence leaders, who won the 2015 regional elections, held a 2017 referendum on independence that was declared illegal by Spain’s Constitutional Court.

Prime Minister Sanchez proposed the amnesty in exchange for parliamentary support from Catalan secessionist parties, which helped him remain in office after inconclusive elections in 2023. The court emphasized that further rulings in preliminary reference proceedings are awaited before final decisions are made.

The ruling is seen as a boost to the Spanish government and its Catalan allies, affirming national sovereignty in handling such political matters within the EU framework.

Sources