EU investigates claims Catalan town council blocking immigrants’ access to basic services

Spanish government also looking into reports their applications to join municipal register in Ripoll held up

The European Commission and the Spanish government are looking into claims that a far-right town council in Catalonia is preventing immigrants from accessing basic public services by making it hard for them to join the municipal register.

The register, known as empadronamiento, is open to everyone in Spain, regardless of immigration status, and is the point of access for public healthcare, education and other vital services.