As of July 2020, Spain still does not have a Law Against Climate Change. The Socialist Government presided by Pedro Sanchez drafted a series of laws, plans and strategies to address the issue: the draft Law of Climate Change and Energetic Transition (LCCTE in Spanish) (adopted by the Government on 19 of May 2020), National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030 (2021-2030) and Strategy for Fair Transition.
Central level
State competences
- Responsibility for legislation, regulation and concession of hydraulic resources and exploitation in the case of cross regional waters;
- Authorisation of electric infrastructures when their exploitation affects other AC or when the transport of energy goes beyond the territorial limit;
- Basic legislation (general legal framework) about environmental protection;
- Basic legislation (general legal framework) about mountains, exploitation of forest and cattle routes;
- Basic legislation (general legal framework) for mining and fuel;
- Approval of the National Plan on waste management;
- Monitoring, evaluation and legal authority to impose sanctions;
- Establishment of the minimum waste management targets;
- Authorisations on the transfer of waste from and to non-EU third countries, in cooperation with the relevant Autonomous Communities.
- National Plan for Air Quality 2017-2019 (Plan Aire II).
- Waste management, and National Integrated Plan of Waste.
- Management of the Carbon Fund (FES-CO2).
Regional level
Regional level authorities are responsible for:
Local level
Provincial competences
- Securing coordination and provision of municipal services.
Municipal competences[1]
- Recovery and treatment of waste;
- Monitoring, inspection and legal authority to impose sanctions within their remit;
- Other voluntary responsibilities in the field of waste;
- Treatment of sewage water;
- Strategic plans of environmental action;
- Environmental protection (>50 000 inhabitants).
Responsible ministries/bodies
Central
Ministry for the
Ecological Transition and the Demographic
Challenge
Sources
Spain, European Environment Agency, Profile
Constitución Española de 1978, Art.149.1.22,23 y 148.1.3,8,9,10 (Spanish Constitution).
Ley 7/1985 reguladora de las bases del Regimen Local, Art. 25.2 [Law 7/1985, regulating the bases of Local Regimes, Art.25.2].
Ley 22/2011, de 28 de julio, de residuos y suelos contaminados [Law 22/2011 of 28 July 2011 on waste and polluted land].
National Plan for Air Quality 2017-2019 (Plan Nacional de Calidad del Aire 2017-2019 (Plan Aire II)) https://www.miteco.gob.es/es/calidad-y-evaluacion-ambiental/temas/atmosfera-y-calidad-del-aire/planaire2017-2019_tcm30-436347.pdf
Ministerio para la Transicion Ecologica y el Reto Demográfico https://www.miteco.gob.es/es/prensa/ultimas-noticias/el-gobierno-env%C3%ADa-a-las-cortes-el-primer-proyecto-de-ley-de-cambio-clim%C3%A1tico-y-transici%C3%B3n-energ%C3%A9tica-para-alcanzar-la-neutralidad-de-emisiones-a/tcm:30-509229
Plan Nacional Integrado de Energia y Clima (PNIEC) 2021-2030 https://www.idae.es/informacion-y-publicaciones/plan-nacional-integrado-de-energia-y-clima-pniec-2021-2030
Estrategia de Transicion Justa https://www.miteco.gob.es/es/transicion-justa/default.aspx
Ley 2/2011 de 4 de marzo de Economía Sostenible. [Law 2/2011 of 4 March 2011 on the sustainable economy]
Fondo de Carbono [Carbon Fund) FES-CO2 https://www.miteco.gob.es/es/cambio-climatico/temas/fondo-carbono/
[1] These competences shall be exercised in accordance to the conditions defined in the Regional and State laws, therefore there might be slight differences from one Autonomous Community to the other.
