Spain’s digital lobby wants a ‘State Pact’ between major political forces to cement favourable digital economy policies in the future government’s agenda amid uncertainty ahead of the parties’ electoral programme presentation.
The upcoming general elections on 23 July are generating uncertainty about the future of Spain’s government as polls suggest a neck-to-neck race between a right-leaning bloc (48.8% votes), including far-right Vox (ECR) and right-wing Partido Popular (EPP), and a left-wing bloc (39.9%) with PSOE (S&D) and Sumar (EU Left/Greens).
With the campaigning period starting on 7 July, parties are finishing up their electoral programmes, and stakeholders are gearing up for a potential government shift from left to right and the policy reform that would come with it.
In this context, the Spanish Association for a Digital Economy (Adigital), constituted by 550+ leading companies including giants such as Inditex, CaixaBank, Bolt, IKEA, Microsoft, Spotify, as well as SMEs and startups, is calling Spain’s major political forces to close ranks and sign a “State Pact for Innovation and Entrepreneurship”, with which they would commit to a shared digital agenda in the mid and long-term.
The most recent “State Pact” was agreed upon in 2017 to ensure the government’s long-term fight against gender violence.
The proposal highlights the success of the socialists-led government’s digital agenda for the last four years, with which “pioneering regulatory developments have taken place and innovative knowledge has been developed in institutions”, with Spain being the first EU country to pass a AI regulatory sandbox and a Startup Law, the document reads.
“The future government must make innovation and entrepreneurship central to its economic activity. This will contribute to transforming the economy and achieving a more prosperous society,” the proposal by Adigital says, while also asking to promote digitalisation, entrepreneurship and public-private partnerships.
PSOE and PP are currently engaging with stakeholders, while it remains unclear where leftist Sumar stands.
According to a PSOE source, the right-wing digital agenda is looking grim as PP and VOX blocked a motion in the Castille and León Parliament – a region where the right-wing duo governs – where the socialists proposed to create a Digital Divide Observatory and the urgent drafting of a Digital Empowerment Plan for Castilla and León 2025 and the Castilla and León Digital Strategy 2030.
“If this is a preview of what is to come, it does not seem beneficial either for digital businesses or for society in general”, the PSOE source stressed, also asserting that “throughout this legislature, the PSOE has demonstrated a commitment to the digital transformation of the country”, prime example being the approved “Digital Spain Strategy 2026”.
Adigital stresses that Spain is an optimal country to become the “primary continental digital hub” and to “take advantage of digital technology”, as it is currently the 7th EU member state in the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) and the 3rd in connectivity and broadband.
Partido Popular rejected a request for comment.
(Max Griera | EURACTIV.com)
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