Spain, a prominent OECD member, is under scrutiny following a critical report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The report indicates that Spain is one of five developed countries globally that still lacks a comprehensive anti-corruption plan. Despite established institutions for corruption prevention, such as the Office for Conflicts of Interest and the Transparency Council, there is no overarching, strategic approach to combating corruption in Spain.
Missing National Strategy: An “X-ray” of Deficiencies
The latest OECD report provides a detailed “x-ray” of Spain’s performance across six crucial areas. Both regulatory standards and their practical implementation were assessed. While Spain performs well in the regulation and implementation of transparency and conflicts of interest – scoring over 70 points in both cases, above the OECD average – the report reveals significant weaknesses. Notably, the absence of a national anti-corruption strategy and the lack of lobbying regulation are highlighted. This reveals a large discrepancy between theory and practice, especially in internal auditing and political financing.
An alarming detail: In terms of meeting the criteria for a strategic framework for combating corruption, Spain scores 0%, far below the OECD average, sharing this position with Canada, Iceland, Ireland, and Norway. This starkly contrasts with countries like Latvia, Mexico, and Lithuania, which meet over 80% of regulations and achieve around 60% in implementation.
Corruption Risk Management and Lobbying: A Call for Action in Spain
In the area of corruption risk management, Spain demonstrates excellent regulatory standards, meeting 92% of the criteria, well above the OECD average of 67%. Spanish regulations define internal controls and audits according to international standards and require integrity plans. In practice, however, Spain only meets 37% of the criteria, though this is slightly above the OECD’s 33%. Nevertheless, no data is collected from central budgetary organizations to monitor the implementation of risk management.
Spain’s performance is particularly weak in the regulation and practical implementation of lobbying. Only 25% of regulatory criteria and an alarming 0% in practice are met, whereas the OECD average is 38% and 35% respectively. Currently, Spain is working on a law to regulate lobbying and create a lobby register to increase transparency in this area.
Bright Spots and Shadows: Conflicts of Interest and Political Financing
Despite the shortcomings highlighted, there are also positive aspects: Spain shows strong performance in managing conflicts of interest, meeting 89% of the criteria – well above the OECD average of 40%. In political financing, Spain also meets 80% of the criteria for regulation, which is above the OECD average of 73%. The Court of Accounts monitors party and campaign financing, but not all financial reports are publicly accessible, and not all parties have submitted their electoral accounts on time.
Spain’s excellent performance in terms of transparency of public information is noteworthy. Here, 89% of regulatory criteria and 81% in practice are met, significantly surpassing the OECD average of 67% and 62% respectively. However, company registrations and asset and interest declarations of members of the judiciary are not publicly disclosed.
Overall, the OECD report underscores the urgent need for Spain to develop a comprehensive and coordinated anti-corruption strategy to close existing gaps and further strengthen integrity in the public sector.
