| With
the down turn in the property market, together with the recession,
both the Malaga and Fuengirola town halls have made a bold move
in removing the requirement for an opening licence on many local
businesses in an effort to stimulate the economy. With the new requirements
in force and covering a wide range of commercial activities, areas
of catering, sport, leisure and culture have been omitted and these
businesses must still fulfil the requirement of an opening licence.
Normally, local businesses
had to obtain an opening licence from the town hall before trading
could begin. This process would normally cost anything up to 300
Euros and take a long time to process, thus halting new local businesses
from opening and offering new jobs to the communities. Now, Malaga's
requirement is simply the presentation of a declaration of responsibility,
together with copies of relevant documents such as a property rental
agreement or 'escritura'. There is no fee or waiting time involved
and trading can begin as soon as the documents are delivered. However,
as per usual, the officials from the town halls will still continue
their inspections of the business and should any problems arise,
they will be declared to the business owner, who is at their best
interest to sort any problems out immediately.
The general vibe on the
streets is that the new move is a positive sign and good for new
businesses. Included in this new requirement are shops, motor dealers,
doctors, vets, warehouses, driving schools and many others, but
excluded are bars, restaurants, discos, cinemas, theatres and more
In Fuengirola, the town hall
is due to enact a similar policy to the one in Malaga. Local officials
have also confirmed that this new policy is inline with the EU directive,
who wants to help and improve the process for new business opening,
thus having a “positive” knock-on effect for the community.
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