If former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and former minister Toni Comín want to take their seats as MEPs, they will have to go to Madrid next Monday. That's the decision taken by Spain's Central Electoral Commission in a meeting today, during which it declined to send JxCat's successful candidates from the European Parliament election their proclamation as MEPs. Before it can do that, it argues, the two MEPs-elect have to swear an oath to the Constitution.
During the meeting, the commission confirmed the designation of the seats following last month's election and proclaimed the successful candidates. To take their seats, however, they have one formality left, according to Spanish electoral law: "Within five days of their proclamation, the candidates elected will have to swear or promise to respect the Constitution before the Central Electoral Commission".
All the candidates have been called to the appear before the Commission next Monday, 17th June, at 12pm in the Congress for the ceremony. Following that, the European Parliament will be sent the finalised list of Spain's new MEPs. If Puigdemont and Comín don't go to Madrid, their names will then not appear on that list. If they do go to Madrid, however, they face outstanding arrest warrants following their roles in the 2017 independence push in Catalonia.
Meanwhile, there's also the open question of whether Oriol Junqueras will be allowed to attend the ceremony himself. That decision rests with the Supreme Court. This week, it gave Quim Forn permission to go to Barcelona as a city councillor-elect, but the public prosecution didn't oppose that request, unlike it's done with Junqueras'.