Council of Europe Rejects Cyprus ECHR Nominees

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has upheld the exclusion of Catalan separatist MEPs Carles Puigdemont and Antonio Comín from the European Parliament, ruling that they could not be considered elected due to their failure to take an oath required by Spanish law. Their legal challenge was dismissed, affirming that the European Parliament President acted correctly in relying on the Spanish electoral commission's list of elected representatives. In a separate issue, the Council of Europe (CoE) rejected Cyprus's nominees for the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), stating that not all candidates met the necessary qualifications. Cyprus's Foreign Ministry defended its selection process, asserting that the candidates were deemed appropriate by a separate CoE Committee of Experts. The CoE has requested Cyprus to submit a new list of nominees, as the Parliamentary Assembly ensures the integrity of the election process. Cyprus awaits a formal explanation of the rejection and is prepared to respond with a revised list if necessary.