Collaborative Effort to Harmonize Business Operating Licenses
Querétaro, Qro. The Intermunicipal Table of Socioeconomic Cooperation (MICS) – an interinstitutional collaboration framework between the private sector and government – is working on a project to harmonize the operating license application process among participating municipalities.
MICS comprises the Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic (Coparmex) in Querétaro, along with local governmental bodies and institutions, primarily from the conurbated municipalities: Corregidora, Colón, El Marqués, Huimilpan, Querétaro, and San Juan del Río.
Key Players and Their Roles
Beatriz Hernández Rojas, the President of Coparmex in Querétaro, emphasized that universities are also collaborating on the projects and urged for the continuation of ongoing work within the MICS.
During a MICS meeting, progress updates were presented for two initiatives: harmonizing business license application processes and promoting a culture of peace, both developed under a public-private collaboration model.
Regional Harmonization Efforts
The regional harmonization project moved from a fragmented administrative model to a cohesive regional one, acknowledging that Querétaro’s metropolitan area functions as a single economic ecosystem.
Key achievements in the regulatory improvement initiative include adopting a risk management model aligned with international practices promoted by the World Bank, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
- This model reduces document burden by up to 40%, decreasing the average number of required documents from 12 to 7.
- It eliminates obsolete requirements, such as unnecessary copies and redundant procedures.
- Facilitates the opening of low-risk businesses within 72 hours via the Sistema de Apertura Rápida de Empresas (SARE).
- Employs a Uniform Application Format (FUS) and a Single Window; achieving up to 88% reduction in opening times.
- Plans to advance towards a single digital model with a digital window and automated, AI-driven processes in the coming year.
According to Coparmex, this model anticipates the municipalities’ compliance with the National Law to Eliminate Bureaucratic Procedures, published in recent July.
Promoting Peace Culture
Alongside the regulatory improvement initiative, MICS conducted a peace culture study involving six municipalities and seven universities, distributing 6,844 surveys across 30 neighborhoods and colonies in the state.
Using this system, a territorial diagnosis was formulated through a Peace Thermometer to measure social perception. The results showed challenges, scoring 3 out of 6 points, indicating areas for improvement in social cohesion, strengthening community living, and fostering trust.
