Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont reacts during a debate at the University of Copenhagen | Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images Spanish court rejects issuing EU arrest warrant for Puigdemont Decision comes as ousted Catalan leader visits Denmark.

Spain's Supreme Court on Monday rejected the state prosecutor's request to reactivate a European arrest warrant for Carles Puigdemont — the exiled former Catalan president and now the sole candidate nominated to become the region's new leader.

The court said in a statement it would postpone the decision until the Catalan parliament has been fully restored to normal activity, Reuters reported. This will likely be after regional lawmakers elect a new leader by the end of the month.

The Catalan parliament's new speaker, Roger Torrent, said Monday that Puigdemont is the only candidate nominated to become regional president.

The court decision also came on the same day that Puigdemont arrived in Denmark to give a speech at the University of Copenhagen — his first trip outside Belgium after he fled to Brussels in October to avoid arrest on charges including sedition and rebellion for his role in Catalonia’s independence push.

Puigdemont's lawyer had warned before the court decision that his risk of arrest in Denmark was “extremely high.”

A previous European arrest warrant issued by Spain was withdrawn in December, before a Belgian court decided whether or not to extradite Puigdemont and four of his former Cabinet members.

Catalan newspaper Ara had cited Spanish court sources as saying the Spanish prosecutor believed Denmark would be more inclined than Belgium to grant the extradition request.

The former Catalan president has suggested he could rule remotely from Brussels, an option Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has dismissed.

In Copenhagen, Puigdemont said the "shadows" of former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco were still visible in today's Spain, adding he hoped "that one day not far from today, the will of our [Catalan] people will prevail," and reiterating his desire for the region to become independent.