Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour, Yolanda Díaz, along with Secretary of State for Employment, Joaquín Pérez Rey, have announced the appointment of Isabelle Ferreras as Chair of the newly established International Commission of High-Level Experts on Workplace Democracy. This academic committee is tasked with drafting a report on Article 129 of the Spanish Constitution. The report will outline the importance of granting workers participation and ownership rights at the firm level and propose a pathway for the Spanish Government to advance workplace democracy. Here is the Government’s official announcement.

The expert committee brings together a diverse group of international and Spanish researchers, university professors, and members of the #DemocratizingWork Core Group. Julie Battilana (Harvard Business School & Harvard Kennedy School), Sara Lafuente Hernández (University of Brussels/European Trade Union Institute) and Isabelle Ferreras (FNRS/University of Louvain-Harvard CLJE), who serves as chair of the committee. The other committee members are Jeremias Adams-Prassl  (University of Oxford), Edurne Ormaetxea Aurrekoetxea (University of Deusto), Vicente Salas Fumás (University of Zaragoza), Benjamin Braun  (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies), Erinch Sahan  (Doughnut Economics Action Lab), Daniel Innerarity (European University Institute/University of the Basque Country), Sergio Gonzalez Begega (University of Oviedo), Isabel-Gemma Fajardo García (University of Valencia) and Antonio Baylos (University of Castilla-La Mancha).

« And what a hope, in this world where democracy and life on earth are on the verge of collapse, to be able to help Spain, and then Europe, to move toward deepening democracy: to emerge from the shock (of the current crisis in the US), and work towards a future made of more democracy, including economic democracy, of meaning at work, and respect for the planetary boundaries. » (Ferreras, February 2025)

For more details about the newly formed expert academic committee, you can explore the following articles from Le Monde and El País. 

Additionally, you can watch Yolanda Díaz’s presentation in Spanish, where she discusses the committee’s mission, the significance of its work, and the broader stakes for democracy—not just in Spain, but across Europe and the world: