New Director General of Industrial Strategy and SMEs 2026: what changes for companies

Key data

Spanish SMEs and industrial companies have a new key interlocutor in the Administration. The Royal Decree 473/2026, published on June 10, 2026 in the BOE, formalizes the appointment of Miguel Gómez-Pavón López as Director General of Industrial Strategy and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, reporting to the Ministry of Industry and Tourism. This position has direct competencies over Spanish industrial policy and SME support, which can influence future aid lines, sectoral regulation and reindustrialization strategies.

The appointment is made at the proposal of Minister Jordi Hereu Boher and following deliberation by the Council of Ministers. Although it is an administrative personnel act, the profile and orientation of the new director can decisively mark the instruments available to self-employed workers and small companies in the coming years.

What does this regulation establish?

Royal Decree 473/2026 is an administrative appointment act. It does not modify any previous regulation nor introduce new direct obligations for companies or self-employed workers. Its scope is as follows:

The Directorate General of Industrial Strategy and SMEs is the body that designs and executes the State's industrial policy, manages financing instruments for SMEs, promotes industrial digitalization and coordinates reindustrialization strategies. The new director will have direct competency over all these areas.

Economic and operational impact

This appointment does not generate costs or direct obligations for companies in the short term. However, it has relevant strategic implications for those who depend on Spanish industrial policy:

• Aid and subsidy lines: The new director will define the priorities of the next SME support programs, including financing and industrial digitalization calls.
• Sectoral regulation: His orientation can accelerate or modulate regulatory changes in key industrial sectors.
• Reindustrialization strategy: Gómez-Pavón López's management will impact competitiveness instruments and industrial investment attraction policies.
• Industrial digitalization: The Directorate General has competencies over digital transformation programs aimed at SMEs and self-employed workers in the industrial sector.

For companies that actively participate in public calls or that have interaction with the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, knowing the profile and agenda of the new director is a competitive advantage in anticipating changes in support policies.

Who does it affect?

• SMEs and microenterprises in the industrial sector: They are the group with the greatest direct exposure to the policies managed by this Directorate General.
• Self-employed workers linked to industrial activities: The digitalization and financing programs that depend on this body directly affect them.
• Large industrial companies: In everything related to sectoral regulation, reindustrialization strategy and competitiveness.
• Industrial associations and employers' organizations: Their interaction with the Administration now goes through the new director.
• Advisors, consulting firms and management companies: That accompany companies in accessing aid and complying with industrial regulations.
• CFOs and executives of companies with industrial investment plans: Who need to anticipate the framework of incentives and regulation for the coming years.

Practical example

An SME manufacturer of metal components with 25 employees that has been requesting aid from the Ministry of Industry for two years to digitalize its production line should be alert to changes introduced by the new director in financing calls.

With the change of general director, it is common for the priorities of existing programs to be reviewed: new aid lines may appear, access requirements may be modified or funds may be reoriented towards different strategic sectors. This company should review whether its profile still fits the current calls and whether it should advance or delay its application based on the first moves of the new director.

Similarly, an industrial employers' association that maintains periodic interaction with the Directorate General should update its contacts and learn about the strategic agenda of Miguel Gómez-Pavón López to better position the interests of its members in the coming months.

What should companies do now?

1. Identify if your company depends on aid or programs from the Directorate General of Industrial Strategy and SMEs. If you participate in financing, digitalization or industrial competitiveness calls managed by the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, this change directly affects you.
2. Review the status of your applications or open files. Changes in direction can temporarily slow down the processing of files. Confirm the status of any pending application.
3. Follow closely the first moves of the new director. The first weeks of management usually anticipate strategic priorities. Pay attention to new calls, modifications of existing programs or changes in the criteria for accessing aid.
4. Update your contacts at the Ministry of Industry and Tourism. If your company has direct interaction with the Directorate General, identify the new managers and establish contact as soon as possible.
5. Consult your advisor or management company if you have doubts about how this change may affect your investment plans, aid applications or regulatory compliance in the industrial field.

Official source

Consult complete regulation in official source

Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-12527