Sánchez sets 15 days for judicial reform and media law in July

Sánchez gives PP 15 days for judicial reform, reserving July for media law

There is a contradiction the announcement itself does not hide: to "regenerate" justice, Pedro Sánchez's government proposes stripping the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) of its power to appoint judges to the Supreme Court and High Courts of Justice. The parliamentary majorities remain unchanged. What changes is who appoints whom, and with what political alignment. The ultimatum to the PP is 15 days, with June as the deadline: either Feijóo's party accepts changing the body, or PSOE and Sumar will push the reform directly to Congress. "The hamster wheel has ended," Sánchez has declared.

What changes in the CGPJ reform finalized by the Government

The plan does not alter the parliamentary majorities that elect council members, but rather empties one of the Council's key functions: designating judges for the Supreme Court and regional high courts. This is a fundamental change in the architecture of the Judiciary, not just administrative housekeeping. The official version insists on procedure transparency. The opposition's reading is different: whoever controls access to the judicial apex eventually influences decisions made within. The CGPJ has operated precariously for too long, and the Government has decided there is no reason to keep waiting. The question remains whether a body under intervention can reform itself without external oversight.

The regeneration law and the focus on media funding

The second pillar will go to Congress in July under an ambitious label: sarracena regeneration. The focus is on media outlets. The President speaks of a "mud machine" and pseudo-tabloids, announcing a new scrutiny on the transparency and funding of journalism companies. A mandatory first step is transposing an EU directive approved in Brussels, which, curiously, received PP support. The second, more debated step concerns institutional advertising granted by some autonomous communities: what criteria are trinc and which headlines get the money. "It is an important debate," they state from La Moncloa, adding that from the Government and Congress "we can do things" to improve accountability. In short: who funds the press and who decides which press gets funded.

Feijóo proposes Europe as arbitrator, while Ayuso blocks the path

The PP has not said no completely. Feijóo has responded to the ultimatum by offering to resume negotiations with the mediation of an EU commissioner to certify the agreement, warning that outside this framework "neither stalling, nor blackmail, nor threats are admissible." This maneuver shifts the struggle to Brussels, forcing the Government to move on uncomfortable ground. But the party's internal front is fracturing: Isabel Díaz Ayuso has hastened to ask Feijóo not to pact on the renewal, arguing that "our democracy is at stake." The PP's pressure cooker, a phrase repeated these days, seems closer to exploding than reaching an agreement.

From the pact that lasted less than 24 hours to six months of study

Bolaños himself summarized the disagreement with "it hasn't even lasted 24 hours" regarding the understanding between PP and PSOE on the CGPJ. The minister maintains the reform is not binding; Feijóo insists it is and warns that if socialists block the proposal for council members, Europe will end up speaking. Under the pact, new members would have six months to study European models and propose a system for electing judges. Having the calendar pass through Brussels is no minor detail: the same EU some cite as a guarantee, others place at the center of the problem.

Is Spain becoming Venezuela? The figure used by both sides

The parallel with other countries has settled into the conversation. Some mention Romania and Italy, recalling Ceaucescu or Mussolini; others look to Venezuela and the moment power concentrated in a single figure. The most repeated counterargument is economic: Spain is not Venezuela, and to prove it, they cite 21 million employed in Social Security, higher than ever in history. The problem with this figure is that it admits both readings. It serves to reduce alarmism and, at the same time, to remind us that a country can chain record figures while rewriting institutional rules.

Five days of reflection resulted in a plan to be processed in weeks. It remains to be seen whether the PP accepts the framework with a European arbitrator or, as some within their ranks suggest, prefers trench warfare. And, above all, whether anyone remembers what happens when the next Government inherits these same newly changed rules.