Urgent measures to boost industry and commerce competitiveness in Spain

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1. Partial retirement with a relief contract is extended for manufacturing workers who perform physically demanding tasks, for pensions caused before January 1, 2023. Requirements include six years of seniority at the company, more than 70 percent of staff on permanent contracts, and 33 years of contributions (25 for people with a disability of 33 percent or more).
2. Penalties under the Industry Act are updated: fines reach €60,000 for minor offenses, €6,000,000 for serious ones and €100,000,000 for very serious ones. Coercive fines are also regulated.
3. Closed electricity distribution networks are created, to supply industrial activities concentrated in small geographic areas. The Government has six months to issue the regulations, and authorization will be granted by the Directorate General for Energy Policy and Mines with a prior report from the National Markets and Competition Commission.
4. Within six months the Government must approve a Statute for Energy-Intensive Consumers, recognizing the particularities of consumers with heavy electricity use and offering them mechanisms to reduce the impact of energy costs, in exchange for commitments on energy efficiency, investment and jobs.
5. Recipients of aid for energy-intensive industry must keep production running for three years. Cutting production capacity or staff by more than 85 percent counts as a breach and leads to repayment of the aid, with temporary exceptions while seeking new investors.
6. In commerce, the rules on selling below cost are changed, so it can only be penalized in the unfair cases listed in the law, and the Register of Franchisors and the Register of Distance Selling Companies are abolished.

Who it affects

• Manufacturing workers nearing retirement: They can access partial retirement with a relief contract if they meet the set requirements.
• Industrial companies that breach safety rules: They face much higher fines, up to €100,000,000 for very serious offenses.
• Energy-intensive industries: They will be able to join a future statute that reduces the impact of electricity costs, in exchange for commitments, and aid recipients must keep operating for three years.
• Retailers and distribution companies: They get new rules for selling below cost and are no longer required to register in two registers.
• Companies with refrigeration and cogeneration installations: They receive more flexible transitional conditions for A2L refrigerant equipment, and cogeneration plants past their regulatory lifetime get extended compensation.

Words worth knowing

Contrato de relevo (relief contract)

A contract under which a company hires a worker to cover part of the hours of another worker who moves to partial retirement.

Consumidor electrointensivo (energy-intensive consumer)

An electricity consumer that uses a lot of energy, mostly during low-demand hours, with a stable and predictable consumption pattern.

Venta con pérdida (selling below cost)

Selling a product below what it cost to buy or produce it.

Red de distribución de energía eléctrica cerrada (closed electricity distribution network)

A network supplying electricity to a small, geographically bounded industrial, commercial or service area.

Cogeneración de alta eficiencia (high-efficiency cogeneration)

An installation that produces electricity and useful heat at the same time, using energy more efficiently and cutting emissions.

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