The Junta de Andalucía, through the Consejería de Industria, Energía y Minas, has launched the sales booklet of the Industrial Cities Network of Andalucía with detailed information on the competitive advantages offered by more than fifty municipalities adhered to it. It is a collaboration tool promoted by the Andalusian Government with Andalusian municipalities to promote industrial activity and the generation of quality employment in the municipalities that are part of the Network, and to showcase those environments that are more favorable for hosting industrial investments in Andalucía.
This document gathers strategic information about the available land for the implementation of industrial projects, the tax incentives offered by each municipality, and their competitive advantages, with the aim of attracting industrial investments and boosting economic development in the region by providing potential investors with detailed information on the strengths and opportunities presented by Andalucía.
The sales booklet is «a fundamental tool for interested companies in establishing themselves in a specific territory to consult on the strengths and facilities that a council provides to potential investors,» explained the Minister of Industry, Energy and Mines, Jorge Paradela.
This tool, which is one of the commitments made by the Andalusian Government to the municipalities that join the Network, offers a dossier that will allow all companies interested in establishing themselves in Andalucía to expedite decision-making, something that, in the words of Jorge Paradela «will encourage different municipalities to differentiate themselves by showing in detail what their competitive advantages are, their support policies, and the resources they have in favor of the industry.»
Specifically, the document, which can currently be accessed on the Consejería de Industria, Energía y Minas website and will be periodically updated with information provided by the municipalities, contains detailed information on 56 localities that are part of the Industrial Cities Network of Andalucía. For example, from Almería, there is information on eight municipalities (Albox, Benahadux, Gádor, Huércal de Almería, Huércal-Overa, Macael, Purchena, and Zurgena) out of the 18 adhered to the Network.
Mayors from all over Andalucía pose with the Minister of Industry, Jorge Paradela, in a family photo before the II High-Level Meeting of the Industrial Cities Network of Andalucía, hosted in Linares.
In the province of Cádiz, data is provided for Bornos, Chiclana de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María, Jerez de la Frontera, and Ubrique, five of the nine municipalities in Cádiz that are part of the Network.
Córdoba, the province with the highest number of municipalities adhered to the Network (34), provides information on 15 localities: Añora, Bujalance, Cabra, Encinas Reales, Espiel, La Rambla, Los Blázquez, Montilla, Montoro, Palma del Río, Pedro Abad, Puente Genil, Rute, San Sebastián de los Ballesteros, and Villa del Río.
In Granada, there are seven municipalities belonging to the Network, three of which have information in the sales booklet (Baza, Guadix, and Motril).
There are four municipalities in Huelva that are part of the Network, two of which provide information on their productive spaces, infrastructures, incentives, and support policies (Hinojos and Huelva).
In the province of Jaén, there are 17 localities belonging to the Network, of which 12 provide information in the joint sales booklet (Alcalá la Real, Alcaudete, Andújar, Baeza, Bailén, Frailes, Guarromán, La Carolina, Martos, Peal de Becerro, Siles, and Torredonjimeno).
Regarding Málaga, Antequera, one of the three municipalities in the province that are part of the Network, provides its information in the Network’s document.
Finally, 21 Sevillian localities are part of the Industrial Cities Network of Andalucía, with the sales booklet containing information on a dozen of them (Bollullos de la Mitación, Carrión de los Céspedes, Écija, El Cuervo de Sevilla, Las Cabezas de San Juan, Lora del Río, Los Molares, Mairena del Alcor, Osuna, and Pilas).
The Industrial Cities Network, framed within the CRECE Industry Action Plan 2021-2022 for a new industrial policy in Andalucía, seeks to promote and encourage the establishment and retention of manufacturing companies and industrial services in Andalusian territory to generate growth opportunities and quality employment throughout the Andalusian geography.
It is an initiative promoted by the Consejería de Industria, Energía y Minas that aims to identify those Andalusian cities committed to industrial development and the attraction of industrial investments in the fields of extractive industry, manufacturing industry, water management, waste and decontamination, and auxiliary services and support for industrial activities.
Currently, there are 113 Andalusian municipalities adhered to the Network. Since its inception, two high-level meetings of this initiative have been held. In the first one, the Córdoba Declaration was signed, an institutional manifesto highlighting their commitment to creating an institutional and social framework dedicated to industry and advancing towards an innovative, inclusive, and sustainable industry in Andalusian municipalities. In the second meeting, held in Linares, the Junta de Andalucía, through the Consejería de Industria, Energía y Minas, committed to certifying the fulfillment of the commitments made with the Andalusian municipalities that are part of the Industrial Cities Network of Andalucía, through the ‘AENOR Certified Commitments’ label.
Image of the first High-Level Meeting of the municipalities of the Industrial Cities Network of Andalucía, held in Córdoba.
What does it mean to belong to the Industrial Cities Network of Andalucía?
Municipalities must offer bonuses and tax advantages for the development of industrial activities, declared of special interest or municipal utility due to circumstances promoting employment, in the corresponding regulations governing taxes on properties, constructions, installations and works, for the opening of establishments, development of economic activities, or for the provision of urban services or similar activities, aimed at industrial companies or self-employed individuals established or intending to establish in the municipality. Likewise, these councils must aim to reduce the maximum processing times to authorize industrial projects and assist investors in this process, as well as evaluate and monitor the state of their productive spaces.
On the other hand, the Junta will strengthen the positioning of the adhered municipalities, for which an interactive map locating the productive spaces and their infrastructures has been developed, where these cities are prominently displayed, as well as the available industrial land, and which is available on the website of the Institute of Statistics and Cartography of Andalucía (IECA). Similarly, the Andalusian Government commits to supporting the external promotion of the municipalities in the Network, reinforcing coordination with specialized units in investment attraction, and thus facilitating access to the potential interest of investors in establishing themselves in Andalucía.
Efforts will be made to involve the councils in the Network in the development of measures included in the CRECE Industry value chain plans to strengthen industrial ecosystems in the municipalities. And, in terms of training, actions will be promoted to continue advancing in the connection of educational offerings and training needs related to industrial challenges in the municipalities.
Additionally, the Consejería de Industria will continue to promote a network of specialized municipal technicians in the development of local production systems through which work synergies are generated and resources, knowledge, tools, best practices, and the application of public-private collaboration models are shared, among other actions, in order to gain closeness with the industrial sector and its needs.