"Since 22nd December 2017, I've been at the disposition of the Parliament. I cannot say it more clearly. Now, when I'm an MEP, as the two things aren't compatible, I'll have to decide." That was what Carles Puigdemont had to say today in a press conference in Brussels in response to a question as to whether his reinvestiture as Catalan president is back on the table, after the prospect was raised by voices from JxCat this weekend.
The president wanted to make it clear he's not renounced taking office again, but said his current priority is to win the legal battle in the Court of Justice of the European Union to take the seat he won in the European Parliament in May. He said his team is working on the filings it will present to the court, but that there are currently no set dates. He also expressed confidence that the process will "culminate well".
The current Catalan president, Quim Torra, who appeared alongside Puigdemont, noted that when he took on the role he set himself the objective of restoring his predecessor and the former government. He did recognise, however, that things "have changed" and now the aim is for Puigdemont to take his seat as an MEP: "That's the point we're concentrated on, but Puigdemont's investiture remains there."
On the matter of the verdicts in the trial of, among others, former members of Puigdemont's government, expected at the start of October, both Puigdemont and Torra said the response would be unified: "When there is the sentence, we will react as a single person," said Puigdemont. They were both positive about the latest independence movement summit held in Geneva this weekend. They wouldn't be drawn on specific plans for a response, but said that JxCat is unanimously opposed to the idea of calling a Catalan election, saying a "strengthening of the institutions" is needed instead.