Source: State anti-corruption plan (Plan Estatal de lucha contra la corrupción)
Spain´s government has unveiled a 15-point State Anti-Corruption Plan – which proposes reforms to whistleblower protection – in response to corruption scandals.
On July 9th, 2025, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez presented a 15-measure State Anti-Corruption Plan in Parliament, in a direct political response to ongoing corruption scandals affecting senior figures in the socialist party (PSOE), including allegations involving party strongman Santos Cerdán and alleged irregular financing channels.
Key Highlights:
The plan is structured across five thematic axes (prevention, whistleblower protection, prosecution, asset recovery and integrity culture). Among its most notable proposals are the creation of a national Agency for Public Integrity, the deployment of AI tools to monitor public procurement, the blacklisting of companies convicted of corruption, and stricter rules for political parties.
Regarding whistleblowing protection, the plan proposes, amongst others:
- Reviewing the design and implementation of internal complaint channels to incorporate national and international best practices.
- Including whistleblower protection in the Criminal Procedure law, to ensure that those persons who report directly to the Prosecutor´s Office, the police or judicial bodies, by reason of their professional activity, receive the same protection as those using internal or external reporting channels.
- Extending the protection to those managing internal or external channels, for 5 years after the cessation of their functions.
While framed as a structural integrity strategy, the initiative is widely seen as a political reaction to reputational pressure, with critics warning that it sidesteps systemic reforms and institutional guarantees.
Background & Context:
- Spain had pledged to develop a national anti-corruption strategy under Law 2/2023 (whistleblower protection), but failed to meet the legal deadline for its adoption. Civil society organizations and the opposition had intensified calls for meaningful reform, particularly as GRECO and the European Commission warned of fragmented enforcement and insufficient institutional safeguards in Spain.
- The release of the State Anticorruption Plan came after weeks of intense political pressure following the emergence of judicial investigations affecting key PSOE figures. Civil society critics have warned that the plan serves more as a reputational shield than a structural solution, since it avoids addressing core weaknesses in Spain´s political system.
Relevant Links to Further Reading: