The German Bundestag has today held the first reading of a draft bill from left-wing party Die Linke which "calls on [the Spanish government] to urge on the adherence to constitutional standards in the trial and to work for a negotiated solution to the Catalonia question" (link in German). It's the first motion on the Catalan situation in the German Parliament.
The relevant item on today's agenda
One of the MPs behind the initiative, Zaklin Nastic, who presented the draft in April to Catalan Parliament deputy speaker Josep Costa, told Catalan public broadcaster TV3 that "regardless of whether you are in favour of or against independence, democracy and the rule of law have to be respected in the EU". "I hope that Germany takes a stance against the criminalisation of politicians, especially those who have been elected at the ballot boxes," she said.
Nastic compared the situation in Spain to that of Turkey, noting that the latter country "allows the presence of international observers" at trial, something the Spanish Supreme Court hasn't, arguing the trial is being broadcast live.
Puigdemont in Berlin
Also today, former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont has travelled to Berlin, where he met with members of Die Linke's parliamentary party, as they announced on Twitter: "Carles Puigdemont is on a visit to Berlin. In our bill in the Bundestag today, we demand that constitutional standards are safeguarded in the Catalan conflict".
Three Die Linke MPs met with Puigdemont and his former ministers Toni Comín and Clara Ponsatí. The party's motion will now be considered by three commissions (international affairs, EU affairs and human rights) before a second reading in the Bundestag based on their findings. The whole passage of the bill is expected to last through the summer.