Spain moves to ban spam calls through landmark legislation approved by Congress this week.
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The new customer service law requires companies to use specific numeric codes for service calls, making it easier for consumers to identify legitimate communications before answering.
The Social Rights Commission of the lower house approved the measure on Wednesday, marking a significant step in the ongoing battle against unwanted commercial calls. Furthermore, the legislation mandates that telecommunications operators must block calls originating from special rate or intelligent numbers assigned to services other than those specifically permitted.
Spain Moves to Ban Spam Calls with Specific Number Codes
The new regulations establish that customer service calls must feature “a specific and differentiated numeric code from the code used to provide commercial services through the telephone channel.” This essentially means companies will need to use specific prefixes that identify their calls as legitimate customer service communications.
Minister Pablo Bustinduy championed this change, while Sumar party introduced an amendment during the legislative process. The measure received support from PP, Sumar, Junts, ERC and EH Bildu, though the PSOE opposed it. This represents the latest effort in Spain’s multi-year campaign to limit commercial calls that disrupt daily life.
The Spanish government has been attempting to curb spam calls for months. In February, the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Public Function led by Óscar López approved a ministerial order aimed at preventing companies and public institutions from making spam calls using mobile numbers.
Additionally, two years ago, Spain reformed the general telecommunications law to prohibit unsolicited commercial calls from companies with whom consumers have no existing relationship. However, companies found loopholes to continue these practices, prompting the need for stricter legislation.
The new law significantly tightens restrictions by prohibiting calls without consent and automatically nullifying any contracts signed during such calls. This provides stronger consumer protection against aggressive sales tactics that often accompany unwanted communications.
Beyond spam call prevention, the legislation contains important linguistic rights provisions. Junts negotiated with PSOE to require companies with more than 250 employees and over 50 million euros in revenue to provide customer service in Catalan in Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands, Basque in the Basque Country and Navarre, and Galician in Galicia when offering services of general interest.
The legislation now moves to the full Congress for approval before advancing to the Senate for final consideration. This development comes as Barcelona’s diverse population continues to grow, making consumer protection measures increasingly important for all residents.
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