The European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs has decided against debating a proposal from far-right Spanish party Vox to include the Catalan Committees for Defence of the Republic (CDR) on the list of terrorist organisations. The committee's members followed their coordinators' recommendations, a rejection "by a large majority", according to parliamentary sources, to include the proposal on the agenda.

Vox, however, challenged the recommendation, forcing a vote which it lost by 53 votes to six with three abstentions. Speaking before the vote, MEP Diana Riba (ERC) said that Vox is trying to "obstruct" the committee's work and argued that "no terrorist group exists in Catalonia".

"What does exist in Catalonia is a malaise over an unjust sentence," said Riba. In turn, Javier Zarzalejos (PP) said that there is "an investigation open in Spain for terrorism against the CDR".

In September, Vox asked the Council of the European Union about adding the CDR to the Union's list of terrorist organisations. As the Council didn't respond within the deadline set out, Parliament rules allowed them to ask the Civil Liberties Committee to discuss the matter.

That, however, would need the Committee's support. In today's vote, the members rejected including it on their agenda.

The Council did eventually respond to Vox, saying simply: "The Council hasn't discussed the question raised."