Overview
- The Supreme Court plenary voted by 23 to 9 on Tuesday to recognise that people with a "vinculación particularmente estrecha" or particularly close bond may have legal standing to challenge the grant of euthanasia and it dismissed the Generalitat of Catalonia's appeal in the case that prompted the review.
- The decision leaves the authorised euthanasia of 55‑year‑old Francesc Augé suspended while the court publishes its full written judgment and lower courts clarify next judicial steps.
- The Fiscalía had argued for a narrow test limited to an intense emotional bond and said ideological groups such as Abogados Cristianos lack standing, a distinction that the Supreme Court majority adopted in setting doctrine.
- Catalan deputies are preparing a proposal to amend the national law to limit judicial delays by capping appeals at 20 days, a move backed by advocacy groups who say long challenges have already stalled cases for months or years.
- Rights groups warn the new doctrine will increase judicialisation and suffering for applicants, and the European Court of Human Rights has admitted an appeal in the earlier Noelia Castillo case that could produce broader European legal consequences.