Madrid and Budapest to be told to tighten lobbying and other rules.
BRUSSELS — The European Commission will urge Spain and Hungary to step up reforms to strengthen judicial, transparency and anti-corruption safeguards.
In its annual Rule of Law report, the EU executive is to criticize Spain for making only limited progress in tightening conflict-of-interest rules and asset declaration requirements for senior public officials, according to the report, part of which was seen by POLITICO.
While Madrid has tabled a draft Public Integrity Law and adopted a State Anti-Corruption Plan, the Commission said the “practical implementation” of the existing rules has not improved, and called for stronger enforcement, including an independent supervisory body with effective investigative and sanctioning powers.
The report, due to be published on Friday, comes out once a year and grades all 27 EU member countries on their compliance with the rule of law, issuing recommendations accordingly. POLITICO has not seen the full report.
The Commission’s report lands amid a slew of corruption cases involving members of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s inner circle.
Last month former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos was handed a record-length prison sentence for rigging public contracts for face masks and other medical supplies in exchange for kickbacks at the height of the Covid pandemic.
Another close Sánchez ally, former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has been charged with money laundering, influence peddling and other criminal offenses committed in connection with the 2021 bailout of Plus Ultra airlines. Spain’s former head of government insists that he only acted a consultant on behalf of a select group of clients. The probe has renewed debate over the country’s lack of progress in establishing clear lobbying and conflict-of-interest rules.
And this week a Spanish court ruled that civil servants had improperly created a public-sector job for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s brother, David Sánchez. The prime minister has repeatedly argued that he and his family have been targeted by politically motivated legal proceedings, accusing conservative judges of engaging in “lawfare.”
Spain’s governing Socialist Party isn’t the only political faction to be embroiled in corruption scandals. More than 90 former high-ranking officials and businessmen have been convicted in the long-running Gürtel case, which focuses on the rigging of public tenders and payment of kickbacks to members of the center-right People’s Party. Several legal investigations related to the case remain active.
The Commission also found only limited progress on Spain’s lobbying reforms, noting that draft legislation aimed at increasing transparency around lobbying activities has yet to be approved by parliament. It urged Spain to complete the legislation, including by establishing a mandatory public register of lobbyists.
Revolving doors
Hungary also faces criticism in the report. The Commission said there had been no progress in making the allocation of cases in lower courts more transparent and no further progress in ensuring that pay rises for judges, prosecutors and court staff are implemented in a structured manner.
It also criticized the absence of new lobbying and revolving door rules, calling on Budapest to adopt comprehensive legislation to strengthen its integrity framework.
The findings come as Prime Minister Péter Magyar has pledged to restore the rule of law and repair Hungary’s strained relationship with the EU after taking office.
While the Commission acknowledged progress in some areas, including reforms to the asset declaration system and measures affecting civil society, it said significant shortcomings remain and urged the new government to press ahead with judicial and anti-corruption reforms.
A Commission spokesperson declined to comment on the content of the report.
This article has been updated. Aitor Hernández-Morales contributed reporting.