The City Council recorded a 16% increase in electronic transactions during the first seven months of 2026

At today’s regular plenary session, the City Council gave initial approval to the new Digital Administration Ordinance, which will enable further progress toward a more streamlined, accessible, secure, and citizen-friendly online platform

The Estepona City Council reports that it has recorded 31,156 electronic transactions during the first seven months of 2026, which is 4,383 more than during the same period last year and represents a year-over-year increase of 16.4 percent.

This trend reflects sustained growth in citizens’ use of the city’s e-government services, as every month from January through July exceeded the figures recorded in the corresponding months of 2025. Thus, the monthly average rose from 3,825 entries in 2025 to 4,451 in 2026.

Ana Vilaseca, deputy mayor for Finance, Personnel, and New Technologies, noted that these figures point to a widespread increase in the use of the electronic registry in 2026 compared to the previous year. In light of these changes in how the city interacts with its citizens, the City Council today gave initial approval in a plenary session to a new Digital Administration Ordinance, which will enable further progress toward a more streamlined, accessible, secure, and citizen-friendly electronic platform.

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 occurred 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 City Hall 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 will be able to carry out certain administrative actions automatically, always in accordance with predetermined procedures and with guarantees of identification, traceability, authenticity, integrity, and control.

Furthermore, 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 the processing of 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 gradually 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 City Hall increasingly simple, accessible, and secure, while strengthening the legal and technological safeguards for digital public services.