Toledo, 6 October 2026. The regional government of Castilla-La Mancha has approved the consideration of the Draft Law on Strategic Business Investments, which will now undergo parliamentary processing for approval in the regional legislature, known as the Cortes de Castilla-La Mancha, within this year.
Patricia Franco, the regional Minister of Economy, Enterprises, and Employment, provided updates on this and other topics following the government meeting. She also announced upcoming actions and programs related to vocational training in the labor sector and the approval of an investment exceeding one million euros for the new Emplea Office in Almadén, which will soon be put out to tender.
The Draft Law under consideration is structured into five chapters, five additional provisions, one transitional provision, one derogatory provision affecting the Law on Priority Projects, three final provisions, and an annex. “The new law aims to create a preferential processing framework for support, advice, and monitoring of business investments declared strategic in our region,” Franco explained. These investments will be classified as strategic based on criteria such as economic growth, job creation, wealth generation, competitiveness, sustainability, social economy, and territorial cohesion.
The law outlines the sectors and activities eligible for this designation, which includes a wide range from industrial activities to agriculture, energy and water, construction, commerce, logistics, hospitality, audiovisual production, and social services, among others. It also sets minimum thresholds for obtaining this designation:
- For municipalities with over 30,000 inhabitants: 30 direct jobs and 10 million euros in investment.
- For municipalities with 20,001 to 30,000 inhabitants: 20 jobs and 7.5 million euros.
- For municipalities with 10,001 to 20,000 inhabitants: 15 jobs and 5 million euros.
- For municipalities with 5,001 to 10,000 inhabitants: 10 jobs and 3 million euros.
- For municipalities with up to 5,000 inhabitants: 5 jobs and 1 million euros.
Additionally, the text allows the regional government to exceptionally declare a project as strategic even if it does not meet these thresholds, provided it has a significant impact on the region in areas such as innovation, value chain generation or expansion, competitiveness improvement, significant job creation or maintenance, or relevant technological advancements for regional industrialization.
Franco highlighted two major innovations in this law: the establishment of Support and Financing Units in the five provinces of the region, which complement and expand the Business Support Units created under the Law 5/2020 on Priority Projects; and the creation of the Strategic Business Investment Valuation Commission of Castilla-La Mancha, which will be presided over by the Ministry of Economy, Enterprises, and Employment, with representatives from various departments involved in business attraction.
This law will provide advantages for investment projects, whether regional, national, or international, including preferential processing in administrative matters, reduced timelines, and priority access to aid programs and regional interest declarations. Requests will be resolved within three months.
Other matters approved in today's government meeting included the investment of over one million euros for the new Emplea Office in Almadén, which will be relocated from Calle Mayor to Calle Antonio Blázquez. Once the investment is approved, it will be put out to tender, with construction expected to take 12 months.
Franco also informed the government about the upcoming call for the first modality of vocational training for employed individuals, with a budget of 10 million euros aimed at nearly 10,000 participants, as well as the resolution of the second modality for unemployed individuals, which will allocate 29.88 million euros for training coverage for 9,858 unemployed individuals across 647 courses in 20 of the 26 existing professional families.
