Spanish municipalities adopt faster licensing procedures

The Marbella City Council in Andalusia has issued a new technical and administrative instruction that expands the use of the "responsible declaration" for almost all activity licences. The measure, explained by Urbanism councillor José Eduardo Díaz, updates the regional environmental qualification law and allows licences to be granted immediately after the required documentation is submitted, with only industrial‑environmental uses and large urban projects excluded. By June, 446 activity licences and 61 construction licences above €3 million had been approved under the new system.

In the Balearic Islands, the Andratx City Council has granted its first urban licences using the EPCUS (Entities of Private Urban Certification) model, a public‑private collaboration designed to shorten waiting times while retaining technical and legal guarantees. Mayor Estefanía Gonzalvo highlighted that the system will make municipal administration more efficient without compromising regulatory standards, aligning with the regional government’s push to modernise urban procedures.