Spain proposes national pact with business and union leaders on artificial intelligence

Tripartite negotiations on artificial intelligence

At the close of the 40th Meeting of Digital Economy and Telecommunications organized by the industry association Ametic in Santander, First Vice President and Minister of Economy Carlos Cuerpo announced that the Spanish government will pursue a national pact on artificial intelligence. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will lead negotiations in the coming weeks to establish what the administration terms a new social contract. The round of talks will bring together trade unions, the CEOE employers confederation, academic institutions, and civil society representatives. The government plans to build an operational framework covering technological regulation, digital infrastructure, and workplace protections. Cuerpo stated that social dialogue will serve as the foundation for distributing technological gains.

Social dialogue must be a central pillar, key in this technological development and in the distribution of the benefits of technological development in our country.

Regulatory and economic challenges

The policy initiative seeks to navigate structural changes driven by algorithmic tools across Spanish industries. Speaking during the Menéndez Pelayo International University summer courses, Cuerpo outlined contrasting paths, noting that artificial intelligence could accelerate scientific discovery and productivity, or alternatively cause job losses and reduce purchasing power. He raised concerns over barriers for younger jobseekers, data sovereignty, and market dominance by large technology corporations. The economy minister also cited warnings from Microsoft founder Bill Gates regarding social disruption and proposals for fiscal levies on algorithms.

Between these two realities we will move in the coming years. What is important is that these two scenarios are not distinguished by technological capabilities or advances in AI technology, but by how we are able to answer three elements: Who will control the technology? Who will be able to capture the gains derived from it? And how much time will we have to adapt?

Political context and social dialogue

The negotiation effort coincides with strained relations between the central executive and business groups over labor legislation in the Congress of Deputies. On 31 August 2026, CEOE president Antonio Garamendi stated that he viewed it as difficult for the government to pass autumn policy reforms or the national budget. By centering discussions on artificial intelligence, European ethical standards, and global competition between the United States and China, Moncloa seeks common ground across sectors. The administration intends the initiative to re-engage business leaders following several labor negotiations that concluded without employer endorsement.

European technological sovereignty

During the same gathering in Santander, Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities Diana Morant addressed European strategic autonomy in space and telecommunications. Morant observed that approximately two-thirds of the roughly 16,000 operational satellites in orbit are controlled by a single person, pointing to Elon Musk and the Starlink network. She situated space infrastructure at the center of technological sovereignty and called for European coordination to avoid critical dependencies. Morant stated that public funding and continental initiatives, including European gigafactories, are necessary to secure strategic communication assets.

When an infrastructure becomes critical, the question of who controls it also becomes critical.