Xunta de Galicia maintains power to force municipal mergers

The Xunta de Galicia has advanced a local administration bill to the Galician Parliament that maintains the authority to force the merger of municipalities in extreme cases. This provision applies specifically to municipalities facing critical situations that prevent the effective provision of public services.

Under the proposed legislation, any such involuntary merger must be approved by law through the Galician Parliament. This distinguishes these cases from voluntary mergers or other administrative changes, which can be resolved via decree by the Consello de la Xunta. This requirement was reinstated in the current draft after an initial proposal by Alfonso Rueda’s government sought to remove it.

While regional leaders Alfonso Rueda and Diego Calvo have stated that the administration does not intend to pursue non-voluntary mergers, the legal framework preserves this mechanism for exceptional circumstances. The bill aims to update the existing local administration regulations that have been in place since 1997.