Spain is calling on the European Union to adopt a new, dedicated regulatory framework to protect creators’ rights in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), arguing that current mechanisms fail to address the scale of copyright risks posed by large language models. The push was detailed by Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun, who spoke ahead of a meeting of EU culture ministers in Brussels, according to reporting by European Newsroom.

Urtasun warned that the existing Code of Good Practices—which encourages voluntary commitments from AI developers—“is not enough” to safeguard European creators whose works are being used to train commercial AI systems without transparency, consent, or compensation. He said the rapid expansion of AI models relying on copyrighted books, music, images, and other creative outputs has left artists “in a situation of defenselessness.”

“It is essential that there is a new legislative instrument to address the issue of copyright,” Urtasun said, stressing that current EU efforts have not resolved the fundamental problem: language models can ingest vast quantities of protected works without notifying authors or paying them. He added that the voluntary code has “diluted” the intended strength of the EU’s broader AI Act when it comes to safeguarding creative rights.

Spain wants the European Commission to bolster the bloc’s regulatory arsenal with a clear legal framework establishing rules for transparency, licensing, and fair remuneration. That would ensure creators can opt in—or out—of the use of their works for AI training. “We need to strengthen this framework to set limits on the massive use of protected content,” Urtasun said.

Madrid is seeking mandatory obligations that would require AI developers to disclose the datasets used for training, obtain author consent where needed, and guarantee compensation when copyrighted material underpins lucrative AI systems.

“It is a very important issue for us,” Urtasun said. “Creators deserve transparency, fair remuneration, and consent.”

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