Lobbyists in Spain are calling for regulation and transparency to gain public legitimacy

78% of public affairs and lobbying professionals consider it important or very important to have specific federal regulations in Spain. This is according to the report Public Affairs and Lobbying: An In-Depth Look at the Profession in Spain 2025, prepared by the Observatory of Public Affairs at the University of Navarra and the association Institutional Relations Professionals (APRI).

The study, based on a survey of 331 professionals survey between September and October 2025, provides an up-to-date snapshot of a sector that has established itself as a strategic function within companies, associations, and institutions, but which continues to face challenges subject social legitimacy and framework .

Óscar López, Minister for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service, has stated that lobbying regulation is a top priority for the government. He emphasized that the report data , including the industry’s call for a lobbying law: “Public affairs are a area for democracy and for legislative activity. The Spanish government recognizes the importance of its role in the regulatory process, particularly regarding necessary and sensitive matters, which requires high standards of commitment and accountability.”

“The sector has become significantly more professional in recent years, but the lack of federal regulation contributes to the public’s ambivalent view of the industry,” says Ángel Arrese, a professor at the University of Navarra and co-author of the study.

For her part, Irene Matías, vice president of APRI, believes that the sector’s growth in Spain has not been accompanied by the necessary regulation. “Without a framework that includes a transparency registry—such as the one in place at European institutions—and a diary that reveals interactions between public officials and interest groups, it is difficult to gauge exactly how many professionals are engaged in lobbying in Spain.” She also notes that “this report rigorous data analysis in what constitutes the most researcher effort researcher date on the profession in our country.”

A highly qualified team

The data a high level of training: 99% of professionals hold programs of study , and 90% have completed a postgraduate program. The most common degrees are Political Science (27%) and Law (26%), although the sector exhibits a B educational backgrounds.

The predominant model involves in-house teams: 64% work in public Departments within companies or associations, while 36% work at consulting firms or as independent professionals. Activity is particularly concentrated in highly regulated sectors such as healthcare (22%), energy (15%), finance (8%), and food (8%).

Social legitimacy and improvement of public image

Although 94% of respondents believe that public affairs help improve the quality of public policy and 96% expect its importance to increase or remain the same in the coming years, the main challenge is improving the public’s perception of the profession.

The lobby’s public image is cited as the most significant challenge (24%), followed by the need for greater transparency (16%) and consensus-based regulation (13%). Overall, more than half of the mentions focus on these three areas.

According to the study, Spain occupies a status within the European context: it is one of the countries with issue highest issue organizations registered in the European Union’s Transparency Register, yet it still lacks specific national regulations governing this activity. The professionals surveyed rate the state of lobbying in Spain with anaverage score average 4.4 out of 10 compared to other European Union countries. The report published at a time when the project Transparency and Integrity in the Activities of Interest Groups is currently being debated in parliament.

Five areas of focus

In light of the findings, the study proposes five priority areas to strengthen the development : promoting self-regulation and common professional standards, fostering talent and training , accelerating digitization, and reinforcing the public narrative regarding the social role of public affairs.

“Enhancing transparency and clarifying the framework can help bolster public trust and consolidate an activity that is part of the day-to-day functioning of contemporary democracies,” says Natalia Rodríguez, a professor at the University of Navarra and co-author of report. 

About the study

Public Affairs and Lobbying. An Analysis of the Profession in Spain 2025 is a project Observatory of Public Affairs at the University of Navarra and APRI, based on a survey 331 professionals in the sector (September–October 2025). It is authored by Ángel Arrese, Natalia Rodríguez Salcedo, Jordi Rodríguez Virgili, and Idoia Portilla Manjón, professors at the School of Communication at the University of Navarra.

About the Observatory

The Observatory is an initiative of the School of Communication the University of Navarra and the APRI Forum of Organizations, created as a platform for analyzing and publishing programs of study public affairs, lobbying, and institutional relations, in partnership academics and professionals in the field.

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→ report: Public Affairs and Lobbying. An In-Depth Look at the Profession in Spain 2025

→ report : PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND LOBBYING. AN IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF THE PROFESSION IN SPAIN 2025