Briefing
On 25 August 2026, the Spanish government adopted Real Decreto‑ley 21/2026 a regulation on transparency and integrity in the activities of interest groups; it was published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado at the end of August. Its main provision is the creation of a mandatory Registro de Grupos de Interés at national level, to document contacts between representatives of interest groups and public officials and sanction breaches. The published text names the Consejo de Transparencia y Buen Gobierno as the body responsible for administration and oversight.
Ahead of the vote scheduled for 16 September 2026 on validation of the decree in the Congreso de los Diputados broad political and social opposition is taking shape. Conservative parties Partido Popular and Vox reject the instrument’s use of an emergency procedure and criticise its design. Junts has raised objections and is calling for more precise exemptions for non-professional and small-scale civil society groups.
Organised business has voiced sharp criticism: employers’ association CEOE under its president Antonio Garamendi announced that it would restrict formal contacts with the government until the vote. Garamendi argues that the registration requirement categorises representative business associations as lobby organisations across the board, thereby jeopardising the institutional role of social dialogue.
The major trade unions, too, UGT and CCOO are calling for the procedure to be withdrawn or at least converted into the ordinary legislative process. Both organisations warn against equating trade union functions with the work of interest groups; they invoke the constitutionally enshrined role of trade unions in social partner dialogue.
The government defends the decree as a necessary step towards disclosing political influence and cites international recommendations. If Parliament rejects validation, the decree would cease to have effect; a permanent regulation would then be possible only through an ordinary law. Key questions remain open regarding the distinction between interest representation and constitutionally protected social dialogue, the rules for exemptions, and practical oversight by the Consejo de Transparencia y Buen Gobierno.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).