The European Union’s court will on Wednesday rule on the European Parliament’s refusal to recognise a former president of Catalonia’s status as an EU lawmaker.

Among other things, Carles Puigdemont is asking the EU General Court to annul the EU legislature’s decision to prevent him from taking his seat.

Mr Puigdemont is also seeking damages for the monthly parliamentary allowance he did not receive as a result.

He pursued the case with Antoni Comín, a former Catalan health minister.

The EU legislature did not recognise their election as their names did not appear on the list of elected candidates officially communicated by the Spanish authorities over objections from the country’s central election commission.

The case came after the European Court Justice (ECJ) decided in May to restore parliamentary immunity to Messrs Puigdemont and Comín, including Clara Ponsati, a fellow Catalan separatist.

In 2019, the three EU legislators won seats in the EU legislative chamber and received legal immunity as members of that body.

At Spain’s request, the parliament voted to remove the immunity.

The vote paved the way for Spain to pursue legal action against Mr Puigdemont and others through extradition requests for their role in what Madrid declared as an illegal independence referendum held in Catalonia in October 2017.

The Catalan EU lawmakers fled the country in the aftermath of the failed secession of Catalonia from Spain and feared arrest.

A series of appeals and legal cases in various EU countries later saw the ECJ restore parliamentary immunity to Mr Puigdemont and the two other Catalan EU lawmakers. 

(dpa/NAN)