Catalan president in exile Carles Puigdemont and former minister Toni Comín have this Tuesday afternoon entered the European Parliament in Brussels. The two MEPs-elect were invited in by current MEP Ramon Tremosa "as the free European citizens they are" according to sources close to them.
The objective of the visit was to meet with MEPs they already know and to establish contact with others, as all newly elected members do during the run-up to the official opening of the new legislature, on 2nd July this year. Puigdemont and Comín had wanted to start this process last week, but were prevented from collecting their temporary accreditation.
Aleix Clarió, one of Puigdemont's advisers, published an image of the president alongside Comín, Tremosa and MEP and former Slovenian minister and diplomat Ivo Vajgl in the chamber's cafeteria. After meeting with MEPs from different groups, Puigdemont, Comín and Tremosa spoke to the media.
"We're not mere invitees"
Puigdemont said that, given the election results last month, they're "not mere invitees, but members of this chamber" and that they "demand to be treated the same as the other members". He expressed regret that that didn't happen last week, that instead they were "discriminated" against.
Puigdemont said that the situation they "were victims of" was preventing them from carrying out tasks which are "essential for the work of MEPs", like taking part in meetings about commissions and parliamentary groups. "We have some doors open", he said in the context of talks with groups, but said more details will come in the following days.