Castilla-La Mancha allocates 3.5 million to companies in the Sierra Norte

The Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha publishes this September 21, 2026, Decree 49/2026, of September 15, which regulates the direct granting of subsidies aimed at companies within the framework of the Recovery Plan for the Sierra Norte de Guadalajara. The regulation, promoted by the Regional Ministry of Economy, Business and Employment, mobilizes a maximum credit of 3,500,000 euros and opens a one-month window for submitting applications. The summary of the call is listed in the National Subsidy Database with the identifier BDNS 929733.

The La Mierla fire as the origin of the aid

The decree is based on a fact: on July 16, 2026, a forest fire was declared in the municipality of La Mierla, in the province of Guadalajara, which spread across a wide territory of the Sierra Norte and affected an approximate area of 34,447.88 hectares. The text emphasizes the consequences for forest masses, protected spaces, water resources, agricultural, livestock and beekeeping farms, infrastructure, and the economic and social activity of the area.

The general framework was established by the Agreement of September 1, 2026, of the Governing Council of Castilla-La Mancha, which determined the territorial scope of the Recovery Plan and ordered the competent ministries to promote the necessary actions, including those for maintenance and economic and employment reactivation. That agreement was published in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha number 169, of September 3, 2026.

The decree was signed in Toledo on September 15, 2026, by President Emiliano García-Page Sánchez and the Regional Minister of Economy, Business and Employment, Patricia Franco Jiménez. The instruction of the procedure corresponds to the Business Incentivization Service of the General Directorate of Business.

Amounts: from 5,000 to 25,000 euros per company

The aid consists of a basic amount and, where applicable, a complementary amount:

• Basic amount: 5,000 euros per company, plus 1,000 euros for each full-time employee, with a cap of 10,000 euros.
• Complementary amount for tourist accommodations (CNAE 55): from 2,000 euros (1-5 places) up to 7,000 euros (more than 50 places).
• Complementary amount for restaurants (CNAE 5611): from 2,000 euros (1-25 diners) up to 5,000 euros (more than 100).
• Maximum limit: 25,000 euros per beneficiary company.

The credit is divided between budget application 1911.G/724A/47572, with 3,450,000 euros, and 1911.G/724A/48000, with 50,000 euros. The total amount may be increased by up to an additional 50 percent if credit availability is declared. The aid is granted as de minimis according to Regulation (EU) 2023/2831, with a ceiling of 300,000 euros per company in any three-year period.

Sectors, territory and obligations

Beneficiaries may be companies that effectively carry out their activity within the territorial scope of the decree within these sectors:

• Wholesale trade (CNAE 46) and retail trade (CNAE 47).
• Accommodation services (CNAE 55) and food and beverage services (CNAE 56).
• Other reservation services and related activities (CNAE 7990).
• Sports and recreational activities linked to active tourism and sport hunting (CNAE 9319 and 9329).

Activities of trade intermediaries and agents and hospitality intermediation are excluded. Self-employed workers, partnerships, and associations with regular economic activity are considered companies. The scope includes the municipalities in the annex of the Agreement of September 1 and further extends to Valverde de los Arroyos, Campillo de Ranas, Majaelrayo, and Cantalojas.

Beneficiaries must maintain their activity for 24 months and recover the average workforce they had on July 16, 2026, within a period of 12 months. The application period is one month from the day following the publication of the decree and its summary, and all procedures are carried out electronically through the headquarters of the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha. The maximum period for resolution is one month from submission, with negative administrative silence.

Impact for SMEs and self-employed in the region

The regulation reaches the productive fabric of a region hit in the middle of the tourist season, with a direct grant procedure and full payment along with the resolution, which seeks to inject liquidity quickly. For small shops, accommodations, and restaurants in the Sierra Norte, the decree represents an immediate support channel conditioned on maintaining activity and employment over the next two years.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha, no. 181, of September 21, 2026, section I, page 32289 (official reference: 2026/6727).