SGI 2024 | Spain | Key Challenges

Key Challenges

Recent Governments Experts

SGI experts on Spain

Mario Kölling

Dr. Mario Kölling is Professor at Department of Political Science at the Spanish National Distance Education University (UNED), and senior researcher of the Manuel Giménez Abad Foundation, Zaragoza. From 2011 to 2014 he was Garcia Pelayo Researcher at the Centro de Estudios Politicos y Constitucionales (CEPC) in Madrid. He holds a Ph.D from the University of Zaragoza. Mario Kölling has been a visiting researcher at the Centre for European Integration of the Otto-Suhr Institute for Political Science in Berlin, the University College Dublin, the Institute for European Studies of the Free University of Brussels and the European University Institute in Florence.

In his research he analyzes the negotiations on the EU Multiannual Financial Frameworks. He works and publishes also on issues related to federalism and national and sub-national parliaments in EU affairs.

Juan Rodriguez Teruel

Juan holds an European PhD in Political Science and Administration by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona since 2006. His PhD “Los ministros en la España democrática (1976-2005)” was awarded Juan Linz 2006/2007 Prize and the Spanish Political Science Association 2007 Prize to the Best Thesis.
His book “Los ministros de la España democrática” (Ministers in democratic Spain) was published by the Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales in 2011. His papers have been published in French Politics, Comparative Sociology, South European Society & Politics, Revista Española de Investigaciones Políticas and Revista Española de Ciencia Política, amongst others.
Previously Juan has been Visiting Fellow in the University of Nottingham (2016), Université Libre de Bruxelles (2013), University of Leiden (2013), the Institute of Governance-University of Edinburgh (2011), in the London School of Economics and Political Science (2009-2010) and in The Open University (2008-2009). He has also been Part-Time Lecturer in the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (2002-2008) and researcher in the Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques in Paris (2001).

César Colino (Coordinator)

César Colino is associate professor at the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the Spanish National Distance-Learning University (UNED) in Madrid. He has taught at the University of Salamanca and the Autonomous University of Madrid and has been visiting researcher at the Max-Planck Institute for the Study of Society (MPIfG) in Cologne and Research Officer at the Institute for Research in Public Administration (FöV) in Speyer, Germany. His recent research and publications have addressed issues of comparative public policy and administration, comparative federalism, and constitutional reform in federations with a focus on the Spanish, German and Canadian federal systems. He has published in journals such as Policy & Politics; Comparative European Politics; Public Administration; Regional & Federal Studies; and Publius: The Journal of Federalism. He has recently published a book on comparative administration (in Spanish) Gobiernos y administraciones públicas en perspectiva comparada, Valencia: 2013 (with S. Parrado y J. Olmeda), and is the author of the forthcoming chapter “National and European patterns of public administration and governance,” in the Handbook of European Politics, José M. Magone ed. London: Routledge (with Eloísa del Pino).

Despite positive developments over the past two years, the economy has not yet overcome the various crises encountered in the last five years. As a result of tighter financial conditions and reduced levels of business and consumer confidence, GDP growth is now moderate.

Implementing the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) will be a key challenge in the coming years. The RRP has the potential to create powerful crowding-in effects, significantly impact key reforms on potential growth, and continue reducing public debt. Given the substantial investments anticipated from the Next Generation EU program and the MFF 2021-2027, monitoring absorption capacity will be essential.

Traditional challenges must also be addressed to enhance competitiveness and resilience. First, economic competitiveness and resource efficiency must improve, and the economy’s dependence on tourism should be reduced.

Public policies should continue to prioritize climate-compatible public investment and innovation, while also fostering social and territorial cohesion and ensuring quality access to health and education. The minimum income scheme should be expanded.

The institutional framework promoting cooperation and shared decision-making across different government levels should be reinforced. Additionally, reducing tensions between central government framework legislation and the reality of heterogeneous regional systems is crucial. Maintaining territorial cohesion is becoming increasingly important; thus, the funding system for regional competencies needs an update and reform to ensure subnational governments have adequate resources.

The tax system should be expanded and tax competition reduced. New tax measures for 2022-2023 are important steps toward increasing government revenue and improving tax system efficiency. However, deeper changes are needed to enhance public efficiency and reduce post-tax social inequalities.

Labor market reform has shown positive results, but training capacities need improvement. Access to vocational training, including for immigrants, should be fostered. Greater continuity in education policies across different governments and better coordination across regions could help achieve this goal.

The welfare system’s clearest challenge is population aging, which pressures the sustainability of healthcare and the viability of pensions. While pension reform was crucial, efforts should now focus on the healthcare system.

To achieve these policy goals, specific reforms are needed to strengthen the government’s executive capacities without undermining the parliament. Regulatory impact assessment (RIA) processes should be enhanced. Evaluation agencies must be strengthened to ensure transparency and quality evaluation of action plans and laws. Additionally, societal consultation in policymaking should be fostered, improving citizen access to public policy information.

Strategies should be developed to address the conclusion of the limited temporary NextGenerationEU program. Forming a coalition with other EU member states could strengthen the negotiating position for the program’s continuation and redesign at the EU level.

The government, which took office in November 2023, and its supporting parties have initiatives requiring significant resources. Implementing these measures during economic downturns demands additional efforts, such as increased productivity or higher revenues. Agreements with nationalist regional parties may pressure social and territorial cohesion but could also enhance their legitimacy and social support.

The minority coalition government will need to change allies for most legislative initiatives, requiring political parties to compromise with others in parliament. In the current polarized political climate, this will be a significant challenge for governing with foresight and sustainable policymaking.