Shorouk Express
The US embassy in Spain has demanded that Spanish suppliers prove they don’t have diversity and inclusion policies at their companies.
Spanish suppliers have been contacted by the embassy in Madrid and asked to sign a document certifying that they do not apply any internal policies on “diversity and inclusion” that could “violate US anti-discrimination laws.”
The requirement, which in principle only affects companies with operations subject to US law, builds on a series of executive orders issued by US President Donald Trump with the aim of eradicating diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) policies in the US.
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Applying this to foreign suppliers is a new step and extends the Trump ‘war on woke’ abroad.
According to reporting from El Confidencial, the companies in question, though details on which businesses or the type of services they provide are still unclear, were given five days to provide written proof that they don’t have any such policies.
Spanish media reports suggest that payments will be suspended if it is not provided.
A company that works at the embassy but only operates in Spain would not be in breach of the regulations. However, if it also offers services in the US, it would have to comply with the requirement.
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This raises legal doubts and companies are now studying how to best reconcile American demands with European and domestic diversity and inclusion regulations.
For example, in Spain, there is the Equality Plan or LGBT Plan, which has been mandatory since March 2024 in companies with a workforce of more than 50 people. These plans force companies to train their workers in prevention and awareness-raising courses against sexual harassment or violence in the workplace.
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The news follows the resumption of the Trump and MAGA right’s anti-woke crusade since returning to the White House.
Among the rapid-fire executive orders Trump signed on the day of his inauguration, the one aimed at eliminating DEI was particularly publicised and controversial, under the title of “ending radical and wasteful DEI programmes and preferences.”
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Several hundred civil servants dedicated to ensuring racial and gender diversity in government ranks were immediately dismissed or put on leave, but now it seems the effects of this anti-woke agenda are being felt further afield, in Spain.
In the Spanish political context, the move could allow far-right party Vox to further its anti-woke and anti-political correctness rhetoric.
Vox, along with Trump, are in many ways part of an international ‘alt-right’ (critics would say far-right) network of parties that includes major European figures such as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Vox party leader Santiago Abascal is a big fan of Donald Trump and attended the US president’s inauguration.
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