The Ministry of Territorial Policies indicated this Tuesday that it had received 21 questions for the physical location of the Spanish Space Agency and 14 applications to host the Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence. To those already known that will compete with Huelva such as Seville, Elche, Pozuelo de Alarcón or Las Palmas, some surprises have been added such as Jerez de la Frontera or Estella. The proposals will be validated by a commission and subsequently submitted to the electoral body which will choose the winning city. The deadlines set state that it will not be before November 21 when there will be a decision.
Four Andalusian municipalities will participate in this competition because Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) ended up participating in this competition to host one of the two venues, in which Huelva and Seville were already participants for the Space Agency, as well as Granada for the Artificial Intelligence Agency.
The admission to the processing of such applications It is subject to verification by the Advisory Commission of the existence of the requisites established for this purpose, as indicated by the Government in a note.
The Ministry of Territorial Policies considers the procedure for determining the seat of the new state public bodies “It was a success and was well received”after receiving a total of 35 applications for the two agencies from 14 autonomous communities.
In the case of the Spanish Space Agency, Huelva, Jerez de la Frontera and Seville They compete in Andalusia with 18 other candidates: Cabanillas del Campo (Guadalajara), Cebreros (Ávila), Ciudad Real (Ciudad Real), Elche (Alicante/Alacant), Estella-Lizarra (Navarre), L’Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria/Agüimes/San Bartolomé de Tirajana (Las Palmas), León (León), Ourense (Ourense), Palencia (Palencia), Puerto del Rosario (Las Palmas), Puertollano (Ciudad Real), San Javier ( Murcia ) ), Tenerife Island (Santa Cruz de Tenerife), Teruel (Teruel), Tres Cantos (Madrid), Vitoria (Araba/Álava) and Yebes (Guadalajara).
The Spanish Space Agency will allow it, with a component dedicated to National Security coordinate national space activities and policiesas well as the participation of Spain in international programs in this area.
The space sector provides essential services in the field of communications, Earth observation, navigation, security, the fight against climate change or the monitoring of phenomena such as droughts or fires. These services and applications are of vital importance for the twin digital and green transitions, strategic objectives of the EU. Space is an essential tool for the advancement of science and exploration, answering humanity’s fundamental questions and providing an impetus for innovation.
With the implementation of the Agency, which appears recognized in the reform of the law on science, technology and innovation, in the 2021 national security strategy and is included in the aerospace PERTE, Spain is equal to the countries around us that have similar figures and organizations.
Spanish Agency for Artificial Intelligence
In the case of the Spanish agency for the supervision of artificial intelligenceJerez de la Frontera and Granada will compete together in A Coruña (A Coruña), Alicante (Alicante/Alacant), Barcelona (Barcelona), Gijón (Asturias), Guadalajara (Guadalajara), Leganés (Madrid), Ourense (Ourense), Palma ( Illes Balears), Salamanca (Salamanca), Tenerife Island (Santa Cruz de Tenerife), Segovia (Segovia) and Zaragoza (Zaragoza).
The State Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence will enjoy its own autonomy, independence, assets and administrative powers and will be essential to guarantee compliance with the European legislation on Artificial Intelligence (AI), as indicated by the Government.
The Agency’s main mission is to minimize the risks that AI can pose in areas such as people’s safety, privacy and health, as well as other fundamental rights.
Spain will become the first EU country with a state agency for the supervision of artificial intelligence (AI), before the entry into force of the future European regulation on AI, which establishes the need for member states to have a supervisory authority on the matter.
The Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence is part of the Digital Spain Agenda 2026, in the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, both promoted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, through its Secretary of State for Digitization and artificial intelligence, as well as in the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
advisory commission
The advisory commission for determining the headquarters of new public bodies is attached to the Ministry for Territorial Policies and is the body that assists the Council of Ministers in the electoral process. Admission to the application process is conditional on the Advisory Commission verifies that they meet the requirements established for this purpose. In the event that, in addition to those already indicated, an application has been submitted outside the Ministry’s telematic office, communication will be given in the next few days.
The commission It is chaired by the Minister of Territorial Policies, Isabel Rodríguez, and includes representatives of the Ministries of Territorial Policies; Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation; Labor and Social Economy; Ecological transition and demographic challenge; Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation; Treasury and Civil Service; Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda; Presidency, Relations with the Courts and Democratic Memory; and Social Rights and the 2030 Agenda, together with the representatives of the ministries to which the new public bodies belong.
At the end of the deadline for submitting applications this Monday 7 November, the Advisory Commission will request a report, which must be released within 10 days, to the Ministries to which they belong. At the end of the period for issuing the reports, the Commission will prepare an opinion which will analyze the possible offices of the entity concerned, an opinion which may take into consideration offices not indicated but meeting the criteria established by the Commission.
The opinion will be forwarded to the Commission Delegated to the Government for the Demographic Challenge and will be submitted to the Council of Ministers which, after evaluating it, will adopt its own decision. The government has defended that it is accredited the beneficial role of decentralization exercised by public institutions in the physical environment of their location, as well as the creation of direct and indirect jobs.
According to the Government, the decentralization of public bodies will strengthen equal opportunities by making it easier for citizens, regardless of their place of residence, to interact or even work directly in units of state public institutions. The principle of decentralization is also included in article 54.1 of the law on the legal regime of the public sector.
