THE REFORM(S) OF UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION IN SPAIN: FOR WHOM THE BELLS TOLLS?

The issues I was suggested to address in this Agora have led me to opt against providing a detailed analysis of the Act 1/2014, of 13 March on the Modification of the Judiciary Act of 6/1985, of 1 July Regarding Universal Justice (LO 1/2014).1 Likewise I have chosen not to use this limited space to present again my personal opinion of that Act in form and substance.2 In order to offer some ideas for reflection and debate, I believe it is important to examine this recent reform from a broader perspective: that is (to use the oft-heard formula) we should take the occasion to focus not on the specific item but on the trend of which it forms part. This forces us, in my opinion, to bear witness to a scenario that may form part of a pattern —alas, not an extraordinary one— which extends beyond this specific issue, and which appears especially intense and palpable in recent years. To briefly make note of my evaluation of the LO 1/2014 from an international legal perspective, I would say I coincide generally with the opinion summarized in a document signed by over a hundred