Guarantees companies can operate the same way across Spain

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1. The law seeks to let companies and their products move freely across Spanish territory, without obstacles from any administration. It applies to access to and exercise of any economic activity under market conditions.
2. Basic principles bind all authorities: no discrimination based on where a company is established, justifying and proportioning any limits, avoiding duplicated paperwork, and acting transparently.
3. It creates the Council for the Internal Market (Consejo para la Unidad de Mercado), chaired by the Minister of Finance and Public Administrations, with a technical Secretariat. It monitors the law's application, prepares a catalog of good and bad practices, and issues six-monthly reports.
4. Authorities may only require an authorization, a responsible declaration, or a notification when there are general-interest reasons and the measure is proportionate. Requirements such as demanding residence, registrations, or extra insurance in another authority's territory are banned.
5. What one authority grants is valid throughout Spain: a legally established company or a legally manufactured product can operate or circulate nationwide without new procedures. There are exceptions for physical installations, public domain, and public services with regulated fares, such as taxis and pharmacies.
6. Companies can file complaints with the Council's Secretariat if they face barriers, as an alternative to administrative appeals. In addition, the National Markets and Competition Commission (Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia) can go to court to defend the unity of the market.

Who it affects

• Companies and self-employed workers: They can operate throughout Spain without duplicated authorizations or paperwork, and have fast channels to complain about barriers.
• State, regional, and local public administrations: They must align their rules and actions with the law's principles and cooperate with each other.
• Consumers and users: They get wider access to products and services, and can report obstacles to the Council's Secretariat.
• Professional associations and certification bodies: Their accreditations and certifications are valid across the entire national territory.

Words worth knowing

Declaración responsable (responsible declaration)

A document in which a company declares it meets the required conditions and may start operating.

Comunicación previa (prior notification)

Notice to the administration before starting an activity, without needing to wait for an authorization.

Ventanilla única (single window)

A single contact point where companies submit documents and inquiries to the administrations.

Vía de hecho (act beyond legal powers)

An action by an administration that lacks the legal basis it should have.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries