The Plenary of Congress has rejected this Wednesday, thanks to the votes of PP, Vox, Junts, and UPN, the decree law promoted by the Government to regulate the activity of 'lobbies'. The norm, which had generated discomfort in the minority partner of the Executive and in several of its allies, was questioned mainly for including unions and business organizations among the interest groups.
The validation of the decree only had the support of PSOE, Sumar, ERC, and Bildu, insufficient against the 179 votes against from PP, Vox, Junts, and UPN and the abstention of PNV and Podemos. Sumar had planned to oppose, but corrected at the last moment and aligned with PSOE, despite its deputy spokesperson, Aina Vidal, having already cast her vote against electronically.
This was the second attempt by the Executive to establish a legal framework for interest groups: in January 2025, it already sent a bill to Congress whose processing was blocked due to lack of consensus. The decree law had been in force since the end of August, but as it was not ratified by the Chamber, it is automatically repealed.
During the debate, a good part of the groups reproached PSOE for opting for the decree law instead of seeking a broad agreement in Parliament, citing the urgency of meeting the deadlines required to access 1.5 billion euros in European funds.
The main focus of rejection has been the equating of business organizations and unions with other influence groups. Defending the text, the Minister of Digital Transition, Óscar López, stated that if it was validated, before November the Government would register an amendment to another law in processing to specify that the actors of social dialogue would be excluded from this regulation.
Clash over the inclusion of unions and employers
The minister emphasized that the decree law incorporated 90% of the contributions from the groups, including those from PP and Junts, and particularly attacked 'popular' and Vox: "When in Europe they ask why there is no 'lobby' law in Spain, it will have to be answered that it was because the right and the far-right prevented it," he asserted.
In his view, citizens will find it difficult to understand "that the opposition does not want to approve a project by which the Government increases controls over the Government" and that, moreover, is "agreed with Brussels" and with the lobbying sector.
The spokespeople of almost all groups, except Vox, have agreed to demand more transparency in the relationships of 'lobbies' with political power, but have judged that the proposal arrives "late" and falls short.
For the Bildu deputy Óskar Matute, the decree does not clarify "who influences, whom, with what resources and with what consequences." Néstor Rego, from the BNG, has described it as the "legalization of lobbying" and has lamented that it does not address 'revolving doors', while Àgueda Micó (Compromís) has denounced that the government's anti-corruption plan remains "half done" as it still does not contemplate sanctions for the corruptors.
A good part of the criticisms have focused on the inclusion of unions, a "huge nonsense" for the BNG and a "nonsense" and a "serious error" for Carlos Martín, from Sumar. Oskar Matute (Bildu) has censured the "incongruity" of equating trade unions with employers. "I don't think Repsol is the same as the pensioners' movement," he has pointed out, denouncing that there is an attempt to "hinder the action of social collectives."
"One thing is social dialogue in an abstract and generic sense and another is the relationship of direct influence that a union can have over a governmental or legislative decision, we do not like this ambiguity," warned the ERC deputy, Francesc Marc Álvaro Vidal, questioning why professional associations are excluded as 'lobbies' while unions are included.
From Junts, Josep Pagès has criticized that it is intended to force SMEs and associations to go "through the same hoop" as large companies and consultancies. In his opinion, the regulation is "tailored" to professional lobbyists and ends up disenfranchising the contact of small businesses and social entities with the administration.
Reproaches regarding the use of the decree law
The PP deputy Edurne Uriarte has expressed her support for regulating the activity of interest groups, but not through a "sudden" decree law that, she said, "eliminates the constitutional role of unions and business organizations." Furthermore, she has questioned López's authority to speak about democratic quality and has demanded that he reactivate the ordinary bill project.
The representative of the PNV, Mikel Legarda, has focused his reproaches on the recourse to the decree law despite there already being a law in processing and has accused the Executive of going much further than in its initial proposal. For this reason, he has urged the minister to propose a new minimum decree, aligned with European standards and truly agreed upon with the groups, if he wants to guarantee its validation.
Emilio del Valle, from Vox, has avoided delving into the substance of the text and has limited himself to accusing the Government of disregarding Parliament. "Validating under these conditions normalizes the decree law as a shortcut in front of a Congress that does not provide the votes," he has denounced, reproaching the Executive for intending to "replace the negotiation of amendments with a procedure in which only yes or no can be said."
Finally, the socialist José Luis Aceves has accused the parties that have overturned the decree of wanting their contacts with the lobbies "to continue occurring in the dark" and has reproached the PP for voting against his proposals that the Government had incorporated into the text.