Beyond the criminal implications, the investigation into former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is raising questions these days among professionals who operate in the busy border between public and private interests. A senior official with political experience was surprised that the appearance of the governor of the Bank of Spain, José Luis Escrivá, was requested in Congress just for being mentioned in Judge José Luis Calama’s order as having a meeting with Zapatero, when this type of meeting is common. A former consultant wondered how much a former politician should charge for a report or advisory work and recalled that at the beginning of the century a former US vice president earned more than $150,000 for speaking ten minutes at a forum with Spanish businessmen. These are signs that the boundary is blurred. And it tends to widen because the number of former politicians with business activities is increasing.
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According to data from the Office of Conflicts of Interest (OCI), in 2024, 76 former senior government officials were authorized to work in the private sector before two years had passed since the end of their term. In 2025, there were 71, and both years show the highest figures to date, except for 2019. These contrast with just 41 cases in 2022 and 2023. The data corresponds only to the central government and does not include autonomous communities or municipalities.
Lobbyists call for a law that includes a registry of professionals and each meeting
Only ministers and secretaries of state are guaranteed economic compensation for up to two years after leaving office, which forces many officials who are not civil servants to fend for themselves, including undersecretaries, government delegates, general directors, executives of state companies, and anyone appointed by the Council of Ministers. The office has few resources and usually authorizes almost all requests, to the point that it barely functions as a registry, sources in the field of institutional relations indicate.
The same sources explain that spikes in these requests usually coincide with government changes or reshuffles. The most recent comes after the 2023 elections, when many officials were renewed and Unidas Podemos was replaced by Sumar in the coalition. Previous waves of authorizations were in 2016, a year of much movement amid repeated elections, and in 2018 and 2019, following the motion of no confidence against Mariano Rajoy. The government has 22 ministries, more than previous ones, which contributes to the recent increase. Added to this is that Pedro Sánchez has in many cases broken the tradition that general directors of ministries be civil servants.
Consultancies that hire politicians defend their ethical codes to avoid abuses
Not all former politicians who request authorization end up working in the world of lobby and consulting, but they are a highly valued profile for these companies. How to avoid undesirable distortions? The president and founder of the institutional relations agency Rud Pedersen Spain, Alfonso López, supports regulating their relationship with the Administration through the lobbies law, which has been “stuck” in Congress for four years, becoming a “democratic weakness.” “The EU and the OECD say that more lobby means more democracy and their activity has nothing to do with what we are reading,” he states. Rud Pedersen works with two former politicians, with whom it signs employee contracts and values their experience and contact network. “We prohibit success fees because it opens the door to corruption and malpractice,” he assures.
Despite recognizing some progress, the Group of States against Corruption (Greco) of the Council of Europe has warned Spain that it does not comply with recommendations on the regulation of political advisors nor has it approved the lobbies law, which among other things includes a registry of professionals and publicity of their meetings with the administration. These shortcomings generate confusion that worsens discontent when cases like Zapatero’s or, a few months ago, former minister Cristóbal Montoro’s become known.
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Only ministers and secretaries of state have compensation of up to two years after leaving office
“The big question is whether you are paid for knowledge or for your relationships,” say members of the Association of Institutional Relations Professionals (APRI). The Penal Code includes between articles 428 and 430 the crime of influence peddling, while individuals have the right to access public office, according to article 23.2 of the Constitution. APRI sees it necessary to approve the lobbies law, which establishes “a two-year incompatibility in the exercise of lobbying activity by politicians.” It is not a panacea against cases like Plus Ultra, but it would guarantee that influence is exercised in a “democratic, transparent, and traceable” manner, they point out.
The list of former politicians in business associations and consultancies is long. There are striking cases, such as the consultancy Acento, founded in 2019 by two former ministers, the Popular Party’s Alfonso Alonso and the Socialist José Blanco. Zapatero himself worked for Kreab for a time. The CEOE, consultancies like KPMG or EY, and business associations usually value these profiles.
Sánchez’s government has more ministries and not as many civil servants in general directorates
Kreab assures that the company applies a “rigorous compliance policy” with a crime prevention plan and an ethical code that workers, collaborators, and suppliers must sign.
LLYC also has codes of conduct and calls for regulation of lobby activity, which they consider “necessary” for politicians to make informed decisions “in complex and interdependent economies.” “Anything that cannot be transparent, we do not do,” they affirm.
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