El Congreso tumba la ley de 'lobbies' y anula el nuevo registro de grupos de interés

Spain's Congress has invalidated the new lobbying law and annulled the recent decree, potentially costing the country up to 1.5 billion euros in the final payment of European funds. The government failed to secure enough support in the Lower House for the decree, which was approved by the Council of Ministers on August 25th. The opposition Party of People (PP), Vox, and Together parties voted against the decree, forcing the government to reduce its aspirations for the final payment, which totals 26 billion euros.

Spain may lose up to 1.5 billion euros if the agreement with Brussels on this issue is not met. The government attempted to secure a vote in favor by proposing to revise the decree before October to consider excluding trade unions and employers' associations. However, the PP did not change its stance until midday, with Party spokesperson Edurne Uriarte emphasizing that voting against the decree does not mean opposing the regulation of lobbies.

The derogation of the lobbying law means that all entities arranging meetings with political representatives or high-ranking officials in the General Administration of the State must register in the new state registry. Despite the government's efforts, important companies like Renault, Tesla, Enagás, Danone, Exolum, Fenéa Energía, and HP had submitted their requests to the Council of Transparency.

The division of opinions exists between business and institutional circles, with trade associations and unions opposing registration, while the business lobby sees it as an opportunity to bring transparency and legal certainty to the dialogue between the private and public sectors. The Asociación de Profesionales de las Relaciones Institucionales (Apri) president, Carlos Parry, stresses the need to restore the dialogue to advance towards a balanced and well-supported national regulation of interest groups.