Brussels urges Spain to strengthen anti-corruption measures in its annual rule of law report

The Diplomat The draft of the European Union's 2026 annual rule of law report, according to information obtained by Politico, singles out Spain for shortcomings in the effective implementation of anti-corruption measures and the regulation of political influence activities. The report, published annually by the European Commission, assesses the state of the rule of law in the 27 member states and analyzes aspects such as judicial independence, the fight against corruption, institutional quality, and media pluralism. The document, officially published on Friday, July 17, acknowledges the measures adopted by the Spanish government to prevent corruption, including the approval of the Public Integrity Law and the implementation of a National Anti-Corruption Plan. However, Brussels believes that there has not yet been sufficient improvement in the effective application of existing regulations. In this context, the European Commission is urging the Spanish government to strengthen oversight mechanisms by creating an independent institution with the power to investigate potential irregularities and apply sanctions where appropriate. The report also notes the lack of progress in regulating political lobbying activities and calls for the creation of a mandatory public register of interest representatives, known as a lobbyist register. Brussels' annual assessment is being published as the Spanish government has recently been embroiled in several legal proceedings related to corruption cases. These include the request for a 24-year and 3-month prison sentence for former minister José Luis Ábalos and a 19-year and 8-month sentence for his former advisor Koldo García for crimes of organized crime, bribery, embezzlement, and influence peddling. Furthermore, the publication of the report comes three days after the Provincial Court of Badajoz sentenced the Prime Minister's brother, David Sánchez, and nine other people to nine years of disqualification for an administrative malfeasance offense related to alleged irregularities in his hiring in 2017.

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