The City Council is promoting a new ordinance to make digital government more accessible and efficient

The new document will strengthen services such as the online portal, digital registration, access to case files, and assistance for those who need to complete online procedures

The Estepona City Council announces that it will bring the initial approval of a new Digital Administration Ordinance to the next plenary session—a regulatory framework that will enable the city to adapt its municipal management to today’s technological reality and continue moving toward a more agile, accessible, secure, and citizen-centered administration.

The new ordinance will replace the municipal regulation on Electronic Administration approved in 2016, which needs to be updated in light of the significant regulatory and technological changes that have taken place in recent years, as well as the widespread adoption of electronic processing and the growth of municipal digital services.

The new text focuses on facilitating interactions between residents, businesses, and organizations with the City Council, comprehensively regulating the electronic portal, the general electronic registry, identification and signature systems, electronic communications and notifications, digital files and records, and public services available electronically.

Among the main new features is the consolidation of an electronic portal as a point of access to information, procedures, and municipal services, including the electronic registry, the citizen’s folder or personal area, electronic notifications, the bulletin board, and the ability to check the status of procedures. The regulations also stipulate that these services must meet accessibility requirements and be kept permanently up to date.

Another objective is to ensure that digitization leaves no one behind. The ordinance expressly recognizes citizens’ right to interact electronically with the City Council and provides assistance for those who need support in using digital tools. Furthermore, individuals who are not required to interact electronically with government agencies will retain their right to be served in person or through non-electronic means.

In this regard, the text introduces the role of an authorized public official, who may provide assistance with processes such as identification or electronic signatures, and establishes a Registry Assistance Office designed to help citizens submit applications and documentation. Among other functions, this office may digitize documents submitted on paper to incorporate them into the electronic file and provide information on municipal digital services.

The new regulation also promotes a more efficient and connected administration. The City Council may carry out certain administrative actions automatically, always in accordance with predetermined procedures and with guarantees of identification, traceability, authenticity, integrity, and control.

Likewise, interoperability with other government agencies will facilitate the secure exchange of information and allow for the consultation or verification of data already held by other agencies when necessary for processing procedures, always in compliance with data protection regulations.

The ordinance also establishes that municipal administrative procedures will be managed through electronic case files, ensuring the integrity of the documentation and access to its content by interested parties under the terms established by the regulations. It also provides for a Single Electronic Archive to store and retrieve documents and files once procedures have been completed.

Security plays a central role in the new model. The proposal establishes measures aimed at ensuring the integrity, availability, authenticity, confidentiality, and traceability of municipal information, as well as compliance with the National Security Framework, the National Interoperability Framework, and personal data protection regulations.

The new framework also provides for the possibility of progressively expanding municipal digital services and enabling electronic payment systems for taxes, fees, and other public-law revenues, as well as continuing to promote electronic invoicing in dealings with suppliers and contractors.

With this proposal, the Estepona City Council aims to establish a more coherent, up-to-date, and understandable regulatory framework that facilitates the exercise of citizens’ rights and enables consistent action across the various municipal departments.

The initial approval of the new Digital Administration Ordinance thus marks a new step in the transformation of the municipal administration, with the goal of making interactions with the City Council increasingly simple, accessible, and secure, while strengthening the legal and technological safeguards for digital public services.