La Sénia definitively approves the subsidy guidelines for new businesses

The Sénia City Council has definitively approved the specific regulatory bases for subsidies to promote the creation of new businesses in the municipality. The agreement, signed by Mayor Maria Victoria Almuni Balada on September 24, 2026, is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Tarragona (BOPT) on September 29, 2026, with the reference CVE 2026-08869 (pp. 1-9). The text reaches its definitive version after the public information period closed without any claims or suggestions.

The ordinary plenary session of July 20, 2026, initially approved these bases, which were submitted for public information for 30 business days. Publicity was carried out through the BOPT no. CVE 2026-07076 of August 3, 2026, the Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya no. CVE-DOGC-A-26204075-2026 of July 30, 2026, the media outlet Setmanari l’Ebre on July 31, 2026, the municipal electronic office, and the City Council’s transparency portal.

The regulatory framework of the bases is Law 38/2003, of November 17, general on subsidies; Royal Decree 887/2006, of July 21; Decree 179/1995, of June 13; Law 39/2015, of October 1, on common administrative procedure; the Strategic Subsidy Plan of the Sénia City Council, and the General Subsidy Ordinance.

Beneficiaries and covered expenses

Natural or legal persons who have registered the business activity and/or start the activity as self-employed before the subsidy period closes may apply for the grants, provided that the properties are located within the municipality of la Sénia. It is also necessary to be the owner, lessee, usufructuary of the property, or holder of another legally admissible legal title.

The types of eligible actions are:

• Constitution and first establishment expenses: notary, registry, and agency fees.
• Current expenses of the first year: rental of the premises and civil liability or activity insurance.
• Technological development and digitalization: websites, mobile applications, management software, and ERP or CRM systems.
• Marketing and promotion: advertising campaigns, promotional material, and participation in trade fairs and commercial events.
• Training and consultancy: courses for entrepreneurs or workers and business consultancy services.

Excluded from the grant are the Value Added Tax (VAT) of the submitted invoices and the expenses that the promoter is legally obliged to settle before any public administration, such as taxes, fees, or mandatory payment public services.

Processing, deadlines and resolution

The procedure will be processed under a non-competitive regime, without comparative evaluation between applications. Applications shall be submitted electronically through the enabled procedure on the municipal electronic office; self-employed persons may also do so in person at the Citizen Service Point (PAC), at Passeig de la Clotada, 6.

The required documentation includes:

• Application on a standardized form, signed.
• Bank account ownership certificate or Annex 1 stamped by the banking entity.
• Business plan according to the criteria of Annex 2.
• Rental contract or document of assignment of use, with receipts from the last three months, or title deed of ownership.
• Tax registration (model 036) or registration for the Tax on Economic Activities (IAE), model 848.
• Explanatory memorandum of invoices (Annex 3), invoices, and proof of payment.
• Responsible declaration (Annex 4).

If the application does not meet the requirements, an amendment will be requested within a maximum period of 10 days, with withdrawal if it is not complied with. The instruction corresponds to the body designated in the call and to a collegiate body composed of a technical president, mid-level general administration, one member, and a secretary, both general administration officials. The granting resolution will correspond to the Mayor’s Office by means of a Mayoral Decree.

The maximum period for resolution is 6 months from the end of the application submission period, and the lack of resolution has the effect of dismissal. The maximum subsidizable amount will be that established in the call; if the sum of the applications exceeds the planned budget credit, a proportional distribution will be made until it is exhausted.

Publicity, compatibility, and appeals

The grants are expressly declared incompatible with those established by other administrations or public or private entities. Beneficiaries must publicize the aid received and display it to the public for one year from the granting; otherwise, the City Council may initiate an official reimbursement proceeding. The Sénia City Council will send information on the calls and resolutions to the National Grants Database (BDNS).

A contentious-administrative appeal may be filed against the approval agreement before the contentious-administrative Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Catalonia, based in Barcelona, within two months from the day following the publication of the announcement. The additional provision establishes that the ordinance will be understood as definitively approved, with a permanent character, once 15 business days have elapsed since the full publication of the text in the BOPT, and will remain in force until its modification or repeal is agreed upon.

The official call for applications has not yet been published: the method and deadline for submitting applications will begin once the corresponding call is approved, which will also determine the budget allocation. For entrepreneurs in La Sénia, these guidelines are the indispensable preliminary step to access a direct incentive for incorporation and the first year of activity, covering expenses for rent, digitalization, promotion, and training.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Tarragona, no. 2026-09-29, section I, pp. 1-9 (official reference: CVE 2026-08869).