Toni Comín plans to walk back into Catalonia from France on 24 October

The planned return

Toni Comín, a former Catalan health counsellor who is now an MEP-elect for Junts, has told people close to him that he plans to walk back into Catalonia. In a letter sent to his circle, first reported by El Periódico, he set the date for Saturday, 24 October, at around 12:00. The route crosses one of the mountain passes linking Catalunya Nord with Catalunya Sud, a walk he describes as simple and lasting less than an hour. He has invited friends and family to join him on the crossing and says a meeting point will be announced later. The letter frames the return as the end of his exile, a term he applies to himself.

In the letter he describes the route in these words:

The idea is to cross on foot one of the mountain passes that connects Catalunya Nord with Catalunya Sud.

Legal path cleared

The Constitutional Court has upheld the amnesty law, and the Supreme Court has suspended the arrest order against him. Judge Pablo Llarena provisionally lifted the national arrest order in response to the Constitutional Court ruling, which amended the Supreme Court's doctrine on the amnesty. LaVanguardia reports that the case is likely to be formally archived by the date of his return, while El Periódico expects the archiving within days. Comín called the court's endorsement of the amnesty a victory and spoke to reporters at the European Parliament, saying:

The amnesty is a great political victory for the independence movement, and I dare say for all democrats.

A seat still waiting

Comín headed the Junts list in the June 2024 European elections and won a seat, but he never took possession of it. Taking possession requires appearing physically at the Congress of Deputies in Madrid to swear or promise the Constitution and collect the credential, which he avoided in order not to be detained. LaVanguardia reports that the seat has been vacant since July 2024, and that court appeals were filed seeking to obtain it without meeting the Central Electoral Board's requirements. Comín has spoken of urgency in collecting the seat so that European Parliament representation can be given to the people who voted for him in 2024. After arriving in Catalonia, he intends to travel to Madrid to collect the credential, El Periódico reports.

Puigdemont and the November vote

Comín will return separately from Carles Puigdemont, who intends to come back after the general elections on 29 November so as not to be drawn into the campaign. Comín and Lluís Puig both made clear after Llarena's order that their return would not be alongside the former president. El Periódico reports that Comín considers Puigdemont entitled to an institutional return with full honours from the Parliament, and that Comín himself need not wait for the vote because of his duties in the European Parliament. EL PAÍS reports that Puigdemont had asked Comín to step aside and not stand for the presidency of the Consell de la República, and Junts vice-president Toni Castellà wrote on social media that using Puigdemont's image was out of place. The key dates are shown in the timeline below.

1. 2024-06Comín wins a Junts seat in the European elections as list-head
2. 2024-07The European Parliament seat is vacant from July 2024 because he has not taken possession
3. Oct 24, 12:00 PMPlanned on-foot crossing from France into Catalonia around 12:00
4. Nov 29, 2026General elections, after which Puigdemont plans to return