EESC Fundamental Rights and Rule of Law Group concludes a visit to Spain

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Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law

On 26-27 October 2026, the Fundamental Rights and Rule of Law (FRRL) Group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) concluded a two-day visit to Madrid. 

This visit formed part of the second cycle of FRRL Group country visits (2024-2029), following the first cycle (2018-2024). The methodology of the Group combines exchanges with civil society, national authorities, and representatives of the European Commission, ensuring that all relevant perspectives are heard.

This visit gave the opportunity to the group of six EESC Members to hear civil society representatives about key trends in Spain concerning fundamental rights of social partners, freedoms of association and assembly, freedom of expression (including media freedom), the right to non-discrimination, and the rule of law.

Participants in the discussions particularly highlighted:

  • A solid framework for social partners and collective bargaining, alongside concerns about effective consultation, predictability of social dialogue and delays in labour justice.
  • A vibrant civil society facing growing pressure, including anti-rights and racist narratives, legislation affecting freedom of assembly (Citizens’ Security Law and some provisions of the Criminal Code), use of legal or administrative measures against CSOs/activists, and calls for a structured and regular civil dialogue, as well as for reinforced and predictable funding of CSOs.
  • A pluralist and free media landscape facing challenges such as increasing labour precarity and rising threats against journalists, leading to a general call by participants for the urgent need to implement the EMFA and anti-SLAPP Directive.
  • Significant legal advances on non-discrimination and equal treatment in the last years, but also serious challenges such as growing hate speech, continuing discrimination practices, and the continuity of funding including in the framework of the next MFF.
  • A generally functioning rule of law framework, despite concerns over judicial politicisation and independence, political accusations of judicial ‘lawfare’, the need to establish access to information as a fundamental right, and Spain’s declining corruption perception ranking.

This was the second visit to Spain, after a visit on 14-15 October 2021 as part of the first cycle of country visits. 

The EESC delegation also discussed with the Delegation of the European Union and the authorities of Spain. 

A report, including the observations of the Spanish authorities, will be issued in the coming months and will be presented in the EESC.

The delegation of the FRRL Group to Spain was composed of: 

Background

The EESC established in 2018 a Group on Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law (FRRL Group), which is tasked to provide a forum for European civil society organisations to meet and discuss fundamental rights, democracy and the rule of law. The FRRL Group promotes respect for the European values listed in Article 2 TEU by raising awareness of and assessing the state of play of these values in the Member States and allowing for the exchange of good practices. To this end, the FRRL Group hosts hearings, conferences, and carries out country visits with the aim of identifying trends in Europe concerning fundamental rights and the rule of law, inasmuch as they develop in national contexts. 

Country visit reports are issued along with the observations of the authorities, a few months after the visits (they can be accessed here). After a first cycle of visit to all EU Member States (2018-2024), the FRRL Group started a second cycle of visits in 2024 to the 27 Member States and candidate countries. The Report synthesising the first cycle of country visits led in 2018-2019,  2020-2021, 2022, and 2023-2024 are available, as is the report on the overall first cycle (2018-2024).

For more information about the EESC FRRL Group methodology, see this document.

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