According to what the media Noticias Obreras would have reported, different unions and social entities have demanded from the Government of Spain a comprehensive reform of the Minimum Vital Income (IMV) to expand its coverage, correct management problems, and strengthen its link with employment and social inclusion policies.
The Government has acknowledged its political mismatch before the European Committee of Social Rights (CEDS) and will initiate a procedure to rectify the errors of the IMV.
A complaint against Spain before the Council of Europe
The procedure stems from the Collective Complaint number 241/2024, submitted by the International Movement ATD Fourth World and other organizations grouped in the Legal Office of Social Rights.
The complaint was registered on June 4, 2024, and partially admitted in May 2025. It questions, among other aspects, the conditions for accessing the IMV, the continuity of payments, the protection of vulnerable groups, and the system used to claim improperly received benefits.
The Government presented its observations through the State Attorney General's Office. In them, it rejects that Spain has violated the European Social Charter and defends that the IMV constitutes a protection network compatible with employment and inclusion measures. It also acknowledges that the complaint places special emphasis on reimbursement procedures and refers to a report from the Ministry of Inclusion to respond to those criticisms.
The entities question the IMV reimbursements
The complaining organizations interpret that the governmental documentation represents a partial acknowledgment of the problems related to the forgiveness and reimbursement of debts. They assert that the Executive contemplates regulatory changes, but warn that these would mainly benefit new cases and would not resolve the claims that are already open.
According to the documentation provided by these entities to the procedure, at least 319,437 people would have been affected by reimbursements linked to the IMV. The organizations believe that the figure could increase because benefits can be reviewed over a period of up to five years.
The public writing of the State Advocacy recalls that Spanish courts have annulled on various occasions administrative decisions that required the return of amounts. The Government maintains, however, that the system offers avenues for appeal and that the Administration can claim payments when it detects errors, omissions, or inaccurate data in the beneficiaries' declarations.
52% of households do not apply for the benefit
The fifth evaluation of the IMV prepared by the Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility concludes that 52% of households that could receive the benefit do not apply for it. In the Child Benefit Supplement, the percentage of households that do not request the aid rises to 71%.
The Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (AIReF) attributes this phenomenon, called non take-up, to factors such as administrative complexity, lack of knowledge about the benefit, the digital divide, and difficulties in quickly identifying changes in families' economic situations.
The Ministry of Inclusion counted in June 860,458 households covered by the IMV, in which more than 2.6 million people resided. This figure includes households that receive only the child supplement, which can be granted with broader income limits than the basic benefit.
Unions demand in-person attention and updated incomes
UGT believes that the IMV is not reaching a sufficient part of the vulnerable population. The union estimates that, of the 860,458 households counted by the Government, 342,970 receive only the child supplement, so the basic benefit would reach 517,488 households.
The organization demands to strengthen in-person attention, simplify forms, and calculate economic vulnerability with updated information. The current model primarily uses income from the previous year, which, according to UGT, can temporarily leave families who suffer a sudden loss of income out.
The union also proposes to reduce the access age to 18 years in cases that require special protection and limit refunds when the undue payment has been caused by delays from the Administration itself.
Labor pathways for recipients
UGT proposes to create a state strategy for labor market integration for beneficiaries with the capacity to work. This would include individual diagnostics, guidance, training, support during the first months of employment, and a professional reference person for each pathway.
The organization also requests to reform the employment incentive so that its operation is simpler and more predictable. It demands that the results be evaluated based on the stability, duration, and quality of contracts, instead of measuring only how many people stop receiving the benefit.
UGT has requested the immediate convening of the Social Dialogue Table and the effective establishment of the Consultative Council of the IMV, the body intended for unions, business organizations, and social entities to participate in the monitoring of the benefit.
The promoting entities of the claim will present new observations before the European Committee of Social Rights. The body belongs to the Council of Europe, an institution distinct from the European Union, and must determine whether Spanish regulation complies with the rights enshrined in the European Social Charter.