Spanish industry leaders have united to urge the government to implement measures that safeguard and enhance their global competitiveness. More than a dozen major industrial employers are seeking a forward‑looking Industry Act that is ambitious and explicitly aimed at boosting the country’s productive sectors on a holistic basis.
Representative groups such as Anfac and Sernauto in the automotive sector, AOP in oil and refining, the paper industry, Feique in chemistry and pharmaceuticals, the Alliance for the Competitiveness of Spanish Industry, and others in construction, minerals, and steel are presenting a unified front. Their goal is to secure government action that accelerates competitiveness for Spain’s industry as a whole.
From the public consultation already conducted on the proposed regulation, industry bodies are calling for more than a hundred measures. These include tax relief, direct aid, easier access to financing, and investments designed to modernize transportation through strategic infrastructure. They also emphasize strengthening vocational training and reducing bureaucracy by establishing a single point of contact with the government and the autonomous communities.
Industry associations insist on concrete steps to soften the impact of rising energy costs. They seek to ensure the viability of sectors where energy is a dominant cost by presenting a package of reforms to the Ministry of Industry. The Alliance for the Competitiveness of Spanish Industry, which groups a dozen sector employers, advocates these changes as essential to preserving industrial vitality.
As part of the energy agenda, industry leaders are pressing for a new protection framework for large gas consumers to lower bills, particularly at a moment when geopolitical tensions threaten gas supplies to Europe and energy prices rise globally as Europe plans to curb demand. They urge prompt action to minimize exposure to price shocks.
Compensation for dense gas
Industry groups are asking for a formal status for gas‑intensive consumers and compensation mechanisms, replicating models already available to European rivals and to large electricity users. They point to the existing flow of energy support as an example of the kind of relief needed. The government is evaluating a reduction of up to 85 percent of electricity charges that finance renewable energy sources, system debt, and non‑peninsular costs, along with a temporary 80 percent discount on highway tolls tied to electricity distribution and transport network investments.
The state has already rolled out a war‑era measure to cushion the impact of the conflict, approving 125 million euros in direct assistance to roughly 1,600 heavy‑gas‑using industrial companies. This remains a temporary injection, with no plan yet for a permanent solution.
Beyond short‑term relief, employers are urging a permanent reduction in electricity costs. They propose eliminating the value‑added tax on electricity generation and transferring related costs from the general budget to the energy bill, while excluding charges tied to distribution and transmission networks, such as those for renewable energy regulation.
At the same time, the Alliance for Industry Competitiveness calls for a regulatory framework to support industrial green hydrogen and biogas consumers. They advocate financial and regulatory measures to promote renewable gas production and the adaptation of transport and storage networks. A dedicated subsidy regime is requested to cover 20 percent of investments in major projects aimed at boosting climate neutrality and energy efficiency.
Exploiting Spanish deposits
Industry voices stress the need to reduce reliance on imports by tapping into domestic mineral resources. They urge the government to create a map of critical minerals to stimulate national production and exploration. While mining for both traditional industrial materials and cutting‑edge technologies is possible, many basic mineral inputs are still sourced abroad.
“Spain could, with a forward‑looking approach, become a leading EU producer of lithium, cobalt, tungsten, uranium, graphite, rare earth elements, and other critical minerals,” the employers state in their communications. They call for a practical plan to catalog resources and develop a use strategy that supports both economic and social development in so‑called empty areas of the country.
Looking ahead, the sector’s strategy includes intensifying exploration, extraction, and production of critical raw materials needed for renewable energy and battery technologies. A national action plan is anticipated to spur domestic production and help align Spain with the energy transition while strengthening regional economic resilience.