Why Spain's amnesty deal with Catalans is source of resentment

"There is sufficient evidence to understand that this law has been drafted by the direct beneficiaries of an amnesty for corruption crimes," Camino Mortera-Martínez from the Centre for European Reform (CER), a think-tank, told EU Observer.

This violates the rule of law and the legal principle thatone cannot draft criminal laws ad hominem — but it alsohighlights that one cannot adopt "transitional justice laws,without social consensus", she added.

For Mortera-Martínez, the law constitutes an attack on theseparation of powers in Spain which is "very dangerous"— but she also highlights that these challenges cannot beeasily compared to those of other countries.

"Spain is not Poland, it is not Hungary, it is not Romania. It is also important to highlight this."