{"id":354,"date":"2026-06-19T17:24:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T15:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/casaresextranjeros.com\/?p=354"},"modified":"2026-06-19T17:25:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T15:25:06","slug":"what-is-the-mancomunidad-de-municipios-de-la-costa-del-sol-occidental","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/casaresextranjeros.com\/es\/what-is-the-mancomunidad-de-municipios-de-la-costa-del-sol-occidental\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfQu\u00e9 es la Mancomunidad de Municipios de la Costa del Sol Occidental?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Mancomunidad de Municipios de la Costa del Sol Occidental is a supramunicipal public body that allows eleven local councils in the western part of M\u00e1laga province to cooperate on services, infrastructure and regional issues that are more efficiently managed collectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than replacing the individual town halls, the Mancomunidad works alongside them. Its purpose is to combine financial resources, technical expertise and administrative capacity so that participating municipalities can tackle shared challenges such as water supply, waste treatment, beach safety and tourism promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organisation was established in 1972 and originally brought together ten municipalities. Torremolinos joined following its creation as an independent municipality in 1985. Its headquarters are in Marbella.[1]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which municipalities belong to it?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Mancomunidad comprises Benahav\u00eds, Benalm\u00e1dena, Casares, Estepona, Fuengirola, Ist\u00e1n, Manilva, Marbella, Mijas, Oj\u00e9n and Torremolinos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These municipalities vary considerably in size, population and character. They include large coastal towns, major international tourist destinations and smaller inland communities. Despite these differences, they share many of the same pressures, including rapid population growth, seasonal tourism, water scarcity, waste management and the protection of the coastline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By working together, the councils can coordinate projects and obtain services that could be more expensive or difficult for an individual municipality to provide alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is the Mancomunidad governed?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The principal representative body is the Assembly of the Mancomunidad. It is made up of 22 councillors, with two representatives appointed by each of the eleven member councils.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The representatives must be serving councillors in their respective municipalities. They are selected in proportion to the results of the municipal elections, using the D\u2019Hondt system to determine which political groups are entitled to nominate them.[2]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Assembly performs a role similar to that of a municipal council meeting. It approves the organisation\u2019s budget, oversees its governing bodies, considers major projects and holds the administration to account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mancomunidad also has a Council of Mayors, consisting of the mayors of the eleven municipalities together with the president of the organisation. This body assists the president and provides a forum in which the area\u2019s mayors can discuss common concerns and coordinate regional action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The president is elected from among the members of the Assembly. Vice-presidents may also be appointed to support the presidency and form part of the organisation\u2019s senior political leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following a change approved on 18 June 2026, the current president is F\u00e9lix Romero Moreno, the first deputy mayor of Marbella. He succeeded Manuel Carde\u00f1a and is expected to lead the organisation until the next municipal elections in 2027.[3]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What services does it provide?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the Mancomunidad\u2019s most important responsibilities is the management of the water cycle. Through the publicly owned company Acosol, it is involved in bulk water supply, wastewater collection, sewage treatment and the reuse of treated water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This regional approach is particularly important on the Costa del Sol, where water resources and infrastructure do not stop at municipal boundaries. Reservoirs, treatment plants, pumping stations, pipelines and coastal sewage systems often serve several towns at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waste management is another major area of responsibility. The Costa del Sol Environmental Complex in Casares receives and processes household waste from the eleven municipalities. The Mancomunidad is also involved in recycling services and the management of packaging, paper, cardboard and glass collections where the participating councils use these services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its responsibilities extend to the beaches. Each year, it coordinates aspects of the coastal buoying system, helping to separate bathing areas from navigation channels, water sports zones and routes used by boats and jet skis. It can also provide technical assistance relating to beach cleanliness, safety and the condition of the coastline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tourism promotion is handled on a regional basis, complementing the work of the individual municipal tourism departments. Presenting the western Costa del Sol as a single destination can provide greater visibility at tourism fairs, professional events and international promotional campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mancomunidad also maintains a shared technical office. This can assist councils with the planning and development of municipal works, infrastructure, technical studies, geographic information systems and certain urban planning matters. However, the local councils retain their own legal authority over town planning decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other permitted areas of activity include environmental campaigns, reforestation, fire coordination, sports promotion, the purchase of machinery for municipal services and joint investment programmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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