Spanish Government challenges Valencian urban planning reforms

The Spanish Government has challenged several urban planning changes introduced by the Valencian regional government through its second ‘Simplifica’ law. This move follows the approval of Law 3/2026, which aims to streamline administrative procedures and reduce hyper-regulation by modifying or eliminating approximately 750 articles across various regional norms.

Disputes specifically target articles concerning research personnel contracts, the participation of public research centers in knowledge-based companies, and management of regional archives. A primary point of contention involves urban planning, specifically Article 101, which introduces significant changes to the Land Management, Urbanism, and Landscape Law (Lotup). Both administrations have agreed to enter negotiations to resolve these discrepancies before the matter is potentially escalated to the Constitutional Court to determine if there has been an invasion of competencies.