The Congress of Deputies has rejected the royal decree to regulate interest groups, which could imply the loss of up to €1.5 billion in European funds. This decision affects various companies that had requested registration in the new registry.
This Wednesday, Congress failed to secure the necessary support to maintain the royal decree-law regulating interest groups, as reported by expansion.com. The regulation, approved by the Government on August 25, aimed to ensure the continuity of European funds, but its repeal may jeopardise the final payment of €26 billion.
The lack of support from parties such as PP, Vox, and Junts could cost Spain up to €1.5 billion for failing to meet certain milestones set by Brussels. However, government sources indicate that this figure could be lower due to adjustments in the evaluation mechanism.
The Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Function, Óscar López, attempted to persuade parliamentary groups to support the decree, offering to revise it before October to exempt unions and employers' associations from the obligation to register. However, this proposal was not enough to change the voting outcome.
With the repeal, all provisions of the state registry of interest groups are rendered ineffective. Major companies such as Renault, Tesla, and HP had expressed interest in registering in the new system, which had started operating days before its annulment.
The business and union sectors have expressed divided opinions on lobby regulation. While employers and unions oppose mandatory registration, the lobbying sector believes that the repeal represents "a lost opportunity to provide transparency" in the dialogue between the private and public sectors, according to the president of the Association of Professionals of Institutional Relations, Carlos Parry.
Parry also highlighted that the repealed text included many of the proposals from parliamentary groups and met European standards, making the need for clarified regulation in Spain more urgent.
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