- The Commission is also proposing to extend the deadline for the submission of proposals.
Carles Puigdemont, the Catalan separatist leader wanted on an arrest warrant, has reportedly returned to Belgium after a brief visit to Barcelona on Thursday, according to the general secretary of his party, Junts. Jordi Turull told Catalan radio station RAC1 that Puigdemont's plan is to continue working from Waterloo. Puigdemont had been in Barcelona since Tuesday evening. The Catalan police were due to hold a press conference to discuss the failed arrest of Puigdemont.
Puigdemont's lawyer, Gonzalo Boye, had earlier stated that his client was outside Spain. Puigdemont has lived mainly in Belgium since his flight into exile on October 30, 2017, following the failed secession of Catalonia from Spain. He had also spent time recently in southern France.
While the Spanish police continued their search for Puigdemont, Catalan singer and ANC civil movement leader Lluís Llach posted on the platform X that Puigdemont had asked him to say that he was "healthy, safe, and above all, free."
Boye had previously dismissed the commotion surrounding Puigdemont's return to Barcelona after nearly seven years in exile, his brief speech to thousands of supporters, and his subsequent disappearance under the watch of the press and police. "He did his political work and went home like anyone else," Boye told journalists. In any case, Puigdemont "will never surrender."
Despite an amnesty for separatists, Puigdemont still faces an arrest warrant, with investigating judge Pablo Llarena accusing him of personal enrichment in 2017, an offense not covered by the amnesty. Llarena has now requested an explanation from the police and the Barcelona government on how Puigdemont managed to escape.
The Commission has expressed its concern over the continuous evasion of the arrest warrant for Carles Puigdemont. Following the news of Puigdemont's return to Belgium, the Commission urged Belgian authorities to comply with their obligations under European law and extradite Puigdemont to Spain.
