Spain's government will pursue a national "AI pact" covering regulation, labor, and taxation
A tripartite pact bringing together business, unions, and technical experts -- announced by Vice President Carlos Cuerpo on PM Sánchez's behalf, in a country that already runs the EU's first national AI supervision agency.
Spain's government announced on September 2, 2026 that it will pursue a national "gran pacto social" -- a tripartite pact bringing together business, unions, and technical and scientific experts to address AI regulation, labor-market transitions, taxation, technological sovereignty, and digital rights. Vice President Carlos Cuerpo presented the plan on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's behalf at the close of the 40th Meeting of the Digital Economy and Telecommunications in Santander.
Built on an existing regulatory foundation
Spain already operates AESIA, the European Union's first dedicated national AI supervision agency -- so this pact isn't a country starting from zero, it's an attempt to formalize labor and tax policy around AI on top of regulatory infrastructure that already exists. Cuerpo described dialogue among the three groups as the "central pillar" of a "great national pact" for how the country handles AI's economic effects.
Why this matters beyond Spain's borders
A multinational operating in Spain should read this as a signal of where AI-related labor and tax rules are headed at the member-state level, distinct from and potentially faster-moving than the EU AI Act itself. Member states are increasingly filling in policy areas -- labor transitions, taxation of AI-driven productivity gains -- that the EU-wide framework doesn't directly address, and Spain's tripartite approach is an early, concrete example of what that looks like in practice.