Vitoria increases digitalization grants for small businesses by 231,144 euros

The Local Government Board of the Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council approved on October 16, 2026, an increase of 231,144.45 euros in the resources of the municipal aid program for the implementation, modernization, and digital transformation of small businesses in commerce, personal services, and hospitality. The agreement is published in the Official Gazette of the Historical Territory of Álava (BOTHA) number 126, dated November 2, 2026, with the official reference 2026-03078. Consequently, the total allocation for the 2026 call for applications amounts to 721,144.45 euros.

From 490,000 to 721,144.45 euros

The call had been approved against budget item 0822.4314.489.64 of the 2026 municipal budget for an amount of 490,000.00 euros. A technical report from the department services, dated October 1, 2026, found that the sum of all submitted applications meeting the requirements of the guidelines reached 721,144.45 euros, meaning there was insufficient funding to cover all projects.

The detected deficit was 231,144.45 euros, exactly the amount now allocated. The agreement specifies that the lack of credit in the budget item should not prevent the granting of the aid, as the seventh guideline of the call, in accordance with Article 58 of the General Subsidies Law Regulations, allows for an increase in the allocation before the resolution when there is surplus credit in other calls from the same department.

Regulatory framework and competence

The Plenary initially approved the city council’s general subsidy ordinance in an ordinary session on April 21, 2023; the text was published in BOTHA number 88, dated July 28, 2023, and entered into force the following day. The guidelines and the public call for the program were structured on this basis.

• Competent body for granting: the Local Government Board, according to Article 127.1.g and 2 of the Local Regime Base Law, as worded in Law 57/2003, and Article 8.1 of the municipal subsidy ordinance.
• Processing: agreement on the delegation of powers regarding subsidies, dated May 16, 2025.
• Financing: available credit balance in the linking of item 0822.4314.489.64, titled “Aid for commerce and hospitality.”
• Publicity: prior registration in the National Subsidies Database, publication in the BOTHA and on the municipal website.

The file contains two approval dates for the call: the agreement on guidelines dated April 24, 2026, and the agreement for the call dated March 13, 2026, mentioned in the operative part. The signed text bears the signature of the delegated councilwoman of the Department of Economic Promotion, Employment, Commerce, and Tourism, María Nanclares Caballero, in Vitoria-Gasteiz on October 16, 2026.

Recipients and scope of the aid

The program is aimed at small businesses within the municipality dedicated to trade, personal services, and hospitality, with the objective of supporting the implementation, modernization, and digital transformation of their establishments and business models. The approved expansion does not create a new grant line: it reinforces the one already announced for the 2026 fiscal year.

• Approved increase: 231,144.45 euros.
• Initial allocation: 490,000.00 euros.
• Final allocation: 721,144.45 euros.
• Volume of admitted applications: 721,144.45 euros.
• Budgetary year: 2026.

The agreement is adopted before the call has been resolved, which allows the amount to be increased prior to the resolution and prevents some of the submitted projects from being excluded due to a lack of credit.

Impact on local trade

The decision ensures that all applications meeting the requirements of the guidelines can receive funding, rather than being subject to a partial distribution due to insufficient credit. For small businesses, personal services, and hospitality in Vitoria-Gasteiz, this means that the digitalization projects submitted this year maintain their expectation of aid, with the budgetary support already allocated in item 0822.4314.489.64 of the 2026 municipal budget.

Source: Official Gazette of the Historical Territory of Álava (BOTHA), no. 126, of November 2, 2026, section II — Local Administration, pp. 1-2 (official reference: 2026-03078).