The Court of Justice of the EU ruled today....>

SPAIN: The Court of Justice of the EU ruled today that jailed Catalan leader

Oriol Junqueras was a member of the European Parliament at the time of his

arrest (despite not having taken his seat), and therefore should have been

entitled to the immunity from prosecution that position confers. 

- The ruling makes the prospect of a coalition deal between Spanish PM Pedro

Sanchez's Socialists and Junqueras' Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) even more

unlikely than it had been.

- Junqueras was sentenced in October to 13 years in prison for sedition and

misuse of public funds regarding the illegal 2017 Catalan independence

referendum.

- For the Catalan independence movement the ruling is a boost, providing

separatists with political ammunition to say that the gov't in Madrid is acting

in bad faith and breaking international laws to suppress Catalonia's voice. 

- Sanchez had promised on Tuesday to engage in dialogue with Catalonia if the

ERC backed him, or at least abstained, in a parliamentary investiture vote that

would allow him to form a gov't.