The Junta de Andalucía, through the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mines, has launched the sales booklet of the Industrial Cities Network of Andalusia with detailed information on the competitive advantages offered by more than fifty municipalities that are part of it. This is a collaboration tool promoted by the Andalusian Government with the Andalusian municipalities to promote industrial activity and the creation of quality jobs in the municipalities that are part of the Network, and to showcase those environments that are more favorable for hosting industrial investments in Andalusia.
This document gathers strategic information on 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 promoting economic development in the region by providing potential investors with detailed information on the strengths and opportunities presented by Andalusia.
The sales booklet is «a fundamental tool for companies interested in establishing themselves in a specific territory to consult the strengths and facilities that a city council makes available 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 Andalusia to streamline decision-making, something that, in the words of Jorge Paradela, «will promote the differentiation of the different municipalities 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 that can currently be consulted on the website of the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mines and which 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 Andalusia. Thus, for Almería, there is information about eight municipalities (Albox, Benahadux, Gádor, Huércal de Almería, Huércal-Overa, Macael, Purchena, and Zurgena) out of the 18 that are part of the Network.
Mayors from all over Andalusia pose with the Minister of Industry, Jorge Paradela, in a family photo before the II high-level meeting of the Industrial Cities Network of Andalusia, 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 adhering 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 that belong to the Network, of which three of them have information in the sales booklet (Baza, Guadix, and Motril).
There are four municipalities in Huelva that are part of the Network, and two of them provide information on their productive spaces, infrastructures, incentives, and support policies (Hinojos and Huelva).
In the province of Jaén, there are 17 localities that belong 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).
In the case of 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 municipalities in Seville are part of the Industrial Cities Network of Andalusia, of which the sales booklet contains 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 Andalusia, aims to promote and encourage the creation and establishment of manufacturing companies and industrial services in Andalusia to generate growth opportunities and quality job creation throughout the Andalusian geography.
It is an initiative promoted by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mines with the aim of identifying those Andalusian cities that are committed to industrial development and the attraction of industrial investments in the fields of extractive industry, manufacturing industry, water management, waste management and decontamination, and auxiliary services and support for industrial activities.
Currently, 113 municipalities in Andalusia are part of the Network. Since its inception, two high-level meetings of this initiative have been held. In the first meeting, the Córdoba Declaration was signed, an institutional manifesto highlighting their commitment to creating an institutional and social framework dedicated to the industry and moving towards an innovative, inclusive, and sustainable industry in Andalusian municipalities. In the second meeting, held in Linares, the Junta de Andalucía, through the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mines, committed to certifying the fulfillment of the commitments made with the Andalusian municipalities that are part of the Industrial Cities Network of Andalusia, through the ‘AENOR Certified Commitments’ mark.
Image of the first high-level meeting of the municipalities of the Industrial Cities Network of Andalusia, held in Córdoba.
What does it mean to belong to the Industrial Cities Network of Andalusia?
Municipalities must offer bonuses and tax advantages for the development of industrial activities, declared of special interest or municipal utility for promoting employment, in the corresponding regulations for taxes on real estate, construction, installations and works, for opening establishments, developing economic activities, or for providing urban services or other similar services, aimed at industrial companies or self-employed individuals established or intending to establish in the municipality. Likewise, these city councils must aim to reduce the maximum processing times for authorizing industrial projects and assist investors in this process, as well as evaluate and monitor the status of their productive spaces.
On the other hand, the Junta will strengthen the positioning of the participating municipalities, for which an interactive map locates the productive spaces and their infrastructures, where these cities are prominently displayed, as well as the available industrial land, and which is available on the website of the Andalusian Institute of Statistics and Cartography (IECA). Similarly, the Andalusian Government is committed to supporting the external promotion of the municipalities in the Network, reinforcing coordination with specialized units in attracting investment, and facilitating access to potential investors interested in locating in Andalusia.
Efforts will be made to involve the Network’s city councils 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 connecting educational offerings and training needs linked to industrial challenges of the municipalities.
In addition, the Ministry of Industry 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, so that closeness with the industrial sector and its needs is increased.