The City Council of Antequera and the Bar Association have signed an agreement to strengthen mediation and expedite the extrajudicial resolution of conflicts, under the new law on judicial efficiency.
The City Council of Antequera and the Illustrious Bar Association of Antequera formalised a collaboration agreement on Wednesday, August 5, to promote appropriate means of conflict resolution (MASC) and offer citizens a dialogue-based avenue before resorting to the courts. The agreement was signed by the mayor, Manolo Barón, and the dean of the Bar Association, Luis Alejandro Moreno, at a press conference also attended by the deputy mayor for Security, Antonio García Mendoza, and the chief of the Local Police, Francisco Alcántara.
The agreement responds to the Organic Law 1/2025, on the Efficiency of the Public Justice Service, which introduces the obligation to attempt a MASC in most civil and commercial proceedings before going to court. To facilitate its application, the City Council will make the Local Police Mediation Unit available to the Bar Association, which will support the conciliation sessions prior to the initiation of judicial actions.
Mayor Manolo Barón highlighted that this collaboration between institutions “will directly benefit the citizens of Antequera,” offering a quicker and more accessible alternative to conflicts that could otherwise lead to complex and prolonged judicial proceedings. Barón explained that both the Mayor's Office and the Security Delegation, as well as the Local Police Headquarters, regularly receive inquiries from residents with disputes over adjoining properties, drainage, roofs, plots, noise, or other coexistence issues.
“The City Council is neither a judge nor a party and cannot dispense justice, but it can channel these matters through qualified, trained, and professional individuals to try to reach an agreement and avoid, when possible, the conflict reaching the courts,” the mayor stated, thanking the Bar Association for its collaboration.
For his part, Dean Luis Alejandro Moreno emphasised that mediation is a voluntary procedure in which an impartial third party facilitates positions, and he reminded that it allows for solutions that are “much quicker and more economical” than a judicial process. Moreno also warned of the heavy workload faced by the judicial bodies in the Antequera judicial district, whose resources have not grown at the same pace as the population and economic activity.
The Junta de Andalucía has established a support system for Bar Associations to handle the new conciliation sessions, but given the expected volume of actions, the City Council will complement those resources with its Mediation Unit. Deputy Mayor Antonio García Mendoza criticised the Spanish Government for establishing the new legal obligation “without providing sufficient funding,” so the City Council will contribute with its own human resources.
The Local Police Mediation Unit, created in the last quarter of 2025, currently has two specialised agents. The head of the unit, Juan Pablo Pérez, explained that the service is oriented towards private conflicts and that participation from the parties is voluntary. Requests can be submitted via the municipal web form, email, or in person at the Local Police Headquarters.
Since the beginning of the year, the unit has handled more than 60 cases, with an average timeframe of around one month to reach a solution or provide legal advice.
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