(Bloomberg) -- What a difference a week makes.
On Oct. 27, Carles Puigdemont defied the world as the Catalan parliament proclaimed the birth of Europe's newest state. For all the talk of human shields, the new republic died an uneventful death within hours, as the Spanish government quickly reasserted control without much resistance.
Puigdemont has since fled to Belgium without warning his party's senior members, where he said he plans to stay indefinitely out of fear for his personal safety and doubts that he will get a fair trial for his actions in Spain. Even though he denied fleeing to Brussels to seek asylum in the only European Union country that has shown any sympathy for the separatist movement, he wouldn't say when he'll return to Catalonia.
The question left unanswered after a a chaotic press conference attended by more than 200 journalists in a room which normally holds about 70, is what will happen if the Spanish government asks for Puigdemont's extradition. The ousted secessionist didn't exclude seeking asylum if that were the case.
Here's a quick guide to the process that could be Puigdemont's last shot to avoid decades in jail for charges of revolt and misuse of state funds:
- The good news is that Belgium's Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons examines asylum applications by EU nationals as a matter of priority, so the Catalan leader wouldn't need to wait at the back of the queue with those fleeing war and dictatorship.
- According to the procedure laid out at the Commissioner's website, the Belgian state may require fingerprints to be taken, as well as an X-ray to check whether the applicant suffers from tuberculosis.
- After filling out a questionnaire with the help of an interpreter, an interview may follow where the applicant seeking protection will have to prove a well founded fear of persecution. In the case of EU nationals, the Belgian state presumes that there's no need of protection from serious harm, according to the Commissioner's office. “The burden of proof lies largely with the applicant.”
- There's no recent precedent of protection being granted to an EU citizen.
- A decision will be made within five working days, which can be appealed within a month.
- If protection is granted to an EU national, Belgium's authorities would have to notify the EU of their decision.
So a high bar, no doubt. But possibly easier than some of Puigdemont's recent endeavors.
--With assistance from John Martens and Viktoria Dendrinou
To contact the reporters on this story: Nikos Chrysoloras in Brussels at nchrysoloras@bloomberg.net, Jonathan Stearns in Brussels at jstearns2@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Vidya Root at vroot@bloomberg.net, Emma Ross-Thomas, Richard Bravo
©2017 Bloomberg L.P.
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