Asturias centralizes transparency claims: what changes for companies

Key data

Companies and citizens requesting public information from the Principality of Asturias administration and not receiving a response, or having it denied, have had since May 13, 2026 a single clear destination to file a claim: the state Council for Transparency and Good Governance.

This change occurs through a collaboration agreement between the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias and the Council for Transparency and Good Governance, published in the BOE on May 21, 2026. Through this agreement, Asturias assigns to the state body the competence to resolve claims provided for in article 24 of Law 19/2013 on transparency.

For any company operating in Asturias that needs to access public information—contracts, tenders, administration data, files—knowing this channel is essential to defend its access rights.

What does this regulation establish?

Law 19/2013 on transparency recognizes the right of any person to request public information from administrations. When that request is denied or does not receive a response within the deadline, article 24 of that law allows filing an administrative claim before an independent body, as an alternative to administrative litigation.

Until now, Asturias did not have its own autonomous body to resolve these claims. With this agreement, the autonomous community formalizes the delegation of that competence to the Council for Transparency and Good Governance, the state body created precisely for this function.

The key elements of the agreement are:

• Asturias assigns to the state Council the competence to resolve claims under article 24 of Law 19/2013.
• Citizens and Asturian companies that see their requests for public information denied or unaddressed may resort to this body as an administrative appeal channel.
• The agreement seeks to standardize the resolution of claims and leverage the accumulated experience of the state body.
• Asturias does not create its own autonomous body, which avoids duplication and simplifies the procedure for the applicant.
• The claims channel is centralized in the state Council.

Economic and operational impact

This agreement does not generate direct costs for companies nor does it imply new economic obligations. Its impact is fundamentally procedural and strategic.

For companies operating in Asturias that use the right to access public information—for example, to learn about awarded contracts, tender conditions, urban planning data or regulatory information—the change means:

• Simplification of the claims procedure: there is now a single clearly identified competent body, without the need to search for a specific autonomous body.
• Greater predictability: the state Council for Transparency and Good Governance has a consolidated track record of resolutions, which allows anticipating decision criteria.
• Time savings: avoiding administrative litigation for information access claims can significantly reduce management timeframes and costs.
• Strengthened guarantees: Asturian companies have access to the same independent resolution guarantees as those operating in communities with their own autonomous body.

Who does it affect?

This change affects everyone who interacts with the Asturian administration and exercises or may exercise the right to access public information:

• Bidding companies requesting information about public contracts, specifications or awards in Asturias.
• Advisors and consultants managing public information requests on behalf of clients with activity in Asturias.
• Compliance and legal departments of companies with headquarters or activity in the Principality.
• Journalists, researchers and organizations requesting data from the Asturian autonomous administration.
• Individual citizens who have had their requests for access to public information in Asturias denied.
• SMEs and self-employed workers needing access to regulatory, urban planning or autonomous public procurement information.

Practical example

A construction company with activity in Asturias requests information from the Government of the Principality about the evaluation criteria used in a tender in which it was not awarded. The administration does not respond within the legally established deadline.

Before this agreement, the company might have had doubts about which autonomous body was competent to resolve its claim, given that Asturias did not have one clearly established for this purpose.

As of May 13, 2026, the path is clear: the company files its claim directly with the state Council for Transparency and Good Governance, relying on article 24 of Law 19/2013. This body will decide whether the Asturian administration must provide the requested information, without needing to resort to administrative litigation.

What should companies do now?

1. Identify the Council for Transparency and Good Governance as the competent body for any claims for access to public information directed to the Asturian administration, effective as of May 13, 2026.
2. Review internal procedures for managing public information requests in Asturias to update the claims channel in compliance protocols.
3. Inform legal and compliance teams that the claims body is no longer autonomous but state-level, avoiding misdirection errors in future claims.
4. Consult the resolution history of the Council for Transparency and Good Governance to anticipate decision criteria for potential claims related to the Asturian administration.
5. Use this administrative channel before resorting to administrative litigation, as it represents a more agile procedure without judicial costs for obtaining access to denied public information.

Official source

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The information contained herein is based on the regulations in force as of the publication date. For specific legal advice regarding your situation, consult with a qualified legal professional. CambiosLegales is not responsible for any damages or losses arising from the use of this information.