Healthcare, housing, family rights, protection of minors, freedom of expression and more – Pedro Sánchez’s leftist government is looking to pass numerous bills ahead of the 2027 general election.
The Spanish Congress is entering the final stretch of this legislature — and possibly the Sánchez era — and there are several major bills stalled that the government hopes to kickstart into law.
With a fragile parliamentary majority, the ruling Socialists (PSOE) have found it difficult to pass legislation in recent years and have relied heavily on royal decrees. It is not, however, entirely blocked, as some media reports suggest.
Looking ahead to the political year, the last before a general election in Spain, there are eight key pieces of legislation the government will be working on that could be passed before the end of the term.
READ ALSO: Spain’s right-wing bloc polls absolute majority amid migrant crisis
Gag Law
The long-awaited new public safety law, known as the ‘Gag Law’ or Ley Mordaza in Spanish, is intended to replace the legislation passed in 2015 by the centre-right Partido Popular (PP) and is one of the bills at the most advanced stage of the legislative process.
The government agreed with EH Bildu and ERC to revive the reform by the end of 2024 but the bill has now been stalled for over a year.
Last summer, an informal meeting took place between the PSOE and several of its parliamentary allies, including Sumar, EH Bildu, PNV and ERC in an attempt to break the deadlock, but no progress was made.
The Gag law has long been derided by the Spanish left as an authoritarian measure, with planned changes to the toughest parts of the legislation, including from smaller fines for smoking cannabis to rubber bullets no longer being used by riot police.
READ ALSO: Weed, insults and rubber bullets – The changes to Spain’s divisive gag law
National Health Law
A draft bill on the National Health System finds itself in the same situation.
The proposed law, which aims to rule out the possibility of introducing new co-payments, broaden the scope of those entitled to public healthcare and expressly prohibit any form of payment in exchange for organ transplants, has been stalled since May.
READ ALSO: Spain’s new co-payment system for medications explained
Classified Information Law
Similarly, another big piece of legislation – the Classified Information Act, sometimes known as the Official Secrets Act – has also stalled since it was sent to the Lower House in July last year, despite years of promises that it would be reformed.
The legislation would establish time limits for the automatic declassification of confidential documents, which could remain classified for a maximum of 60 years rather than indefinitely, as has been the case until now.
Family Law
The long-proposed new Family Law failed to be passed during the last parliamentary term, though some of its key measures have since come into force, such as extensions to care leave, approved by decree at the end of the previous term.
The rest of the bill, which aims to provide more support for single-parent families and extend the scope of child benefit, is currently stuck in Congress.
The bill was sent by the Executive to the Lower House at the very start of the parliamentary term, in March 2024, but since then the PSOE and Sumar – with disagreements over the scope the legislation should have – moved onto other priorities.
READ MORE: The benefits and perks for parents of Spain’s long-awaited Family Law
Film Law
Spanish daily El Diario reports that the “most advanced discussions” centre around a new Film Act, particularly since its passage to law was unblocked last June following an agreement reached by the government with Junts to ensure that a percentage of resources from the film and audiovisual development fund be allocated to co-official languages, and that incentives be granted to cinemas screening more films in Catalan, Basque or Galician.
The Ministry of Culture intends to give final approval to the bill before the end of the year, media reports suggest.
Child Protection in Digital Environments
The proposed law on the protection of minors in digital environments is not as advanced, however.
The bill aims to regulate children’s and teenagers’ access to social media, prohibit minors from purchasing so-called loot boxes in video games due to their addictive potential, and make it compulsory for websites containing pornographic or violent content to implement age verification systems. The legislation is still at the committee stage.
The committee responsible for drafting the legislation was set up last April, but had not completed its work before the summer recess.
READ ALSO: Spain plans social media ban for under-16s
Reforms to Freedom of Expression
Pushed by far-left Sumar, another proposed bill is an organic law to amend the Criminal Code and remove from it various offences that restrict freedom of expression.
These include insulting the Crown, offending religious feelings or desecrating national symbols.
Automatic Arms Embargo Law
The junior coalition partner has also backed a reform to the law on foreign trade in defence materiel in order to automatically impose arms embargoes “on those states that have been sued before an international court” for genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes.
Housing Law
This September, the Spanish cabinet is aiming to pass another set of 11 housing measures aimed at protecting tenants.
From changes to room and seasonal rentals, to deductions for repair costs and new rules for the IBI property tax, there are major changes Spain’s leftist government wants to add to housing legislation, and their impact on tenants and landlords.
READ ALSO: 11 key housing laws Spain wants to pass in September
