The Regulation of Lobbies in the Institutional Sphere of the Spanish State. A Critical Review of the Scope of Recent Legislative Initiatives

Abstract

Although the parliamentary proposals for the establishment of a state regulation of interest groups in Spain have not been lacking, a regulation on the subject has not yet been approved. However, various Autonomous Communities and a state agency, the National Securities Market Commission, have implemented regulations on the activity of lobbies, normally based on the principles emanating from Law 19/2013 on Transparency. In the XII legislature of the Spanish Parliament, two initiatives, one of a legislative nature and the other relative to the regulation of the Congress, have obtained enough parliamentary support to begin its legislative process. However, in view of the comparative legislation and the doctrine on the subject, both should correct some conceptual inaccuracies and incorporate new regulatory fields to achieve an effective control of lobbying.