European Commission Vice-President Vera Jourová will replace Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders as mediator in the tough negotiations between Spain’s ruling Socialist Party PSOE (S&D) and Partido Popular (EPP) to agree on a reform of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), Spain’s top judicial body, EC sources told Euractiv’s partner EFE on Monday.

The CGPJ’s mandate expired more than five years ago, preventing it from working normally and slowing down the normal course of justice.

Reynders had asked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to leave the Commission this week instead of 25 April, as planned, because he had been invited to participate in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The Commissioner will be on unpaid leave to stand as a candidate in the elections for Secretary General of the Council of Europe “from today until the day of the elections”, EU Commission sources said Monday, adding that the EU Commission chief “has decided to temporarily give the Justice portfolio to Vice-President Jourová” during this period of leave of absence.

This means that Jourová, the Commissioner for Transparency and Values, will take over “the responsibilities of Commissioner Reynders.”

She will continue the mediation work that Reynders was carrying out between the PSOE and Partido Popular (PP) on the reform of the CGPJ, the sources added. The mediation was requested by PP, and accepted by both the EU executive and the PSOE.

“Thank you, President Von der Leyen, for entrusting me with the Justice portfolio for now. I am ready to continue the good work of Didier Reynders. I wish him all the best”, Jourová said on X.

Reynders thanked the EU vice president for replacing him in the post and assured that these issues would be “in good hands.”

On 5 April, Reynders said that the agreement between the PSOE and the PP is already “very close” and that now all that is missing is the political “signal” to decide “when to do it”.

The PSOE and the PP have accused each other of blocking the process of renewing the top judicial body.

The Council of Europe’s Assembly will elect its Secretary General at a meeting in Strasbourg from 24 to 28 June, with the new Secretary General taking office on 18 September.

(Marta Borrás | EFE; Fernando Heller | EuroEFE.Euractiv.es)

Read more with Euractiv

Lega founder Umberto Bossi makes clear Salvini must step down

Faced with declining popularity among voters and within his party, the leadership of Matteo Salvini, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and current Lega leader – at least for now – is being challenged by none other than Umberto Bossi, the founder of the party’s previous iteration, Lega Nord.