We are pleased to announce that an updated long cultural policy profile for Spain is now available on the Compendium platform! Authored by national experts Anna Villarroya and Pedro Rothstein, the comprehensive report provides an in-depth analysis of Spain’s evolving cultural governance system, regulatory frameworks, funding structures, and strategic priorities.
Below are the key cultural policy highlights and developments from 2025 and 2026 featured in the updated profile:
-
Adoption of the Cultural Rights Plan 2025–2030: Launched by the Ministry of Culture, this flagship initiative positions culture as a fundamental human right and collective good rather than a market commodity. Built around five strategic priorities, it integrates cultural policy with broader social objectives such as digital transformation, climate crisis response, and territorial cohesion.
-
Progressive Implementation of the Artists’ Statute, AI Guidance & Digitalization: Policy efforts have focused on improving employment stability, tax adaptations, and social security coverage for cultural workers. Additionally, to address creative risks posed by generative AI, the Ministry adopted the Guide to Good Practices on Artificial Intelligence (2024–2026), establishing transparency standards and excluding fully AI-generated works from National Awards. Digital policy has shifted from piracy control toward digital democracy, open technology, and cluster-based ecosystems (e.g., Audiovisual Hubs in Catalonia, Galicia, and Andalusia). Key actions include establishing an Office for Digital Democracy and publishing AC/E’s 2026 report Mapping the Use of AI in Spanish-language Digital Creation.
-
Strengthening International Cultural Action & Hosting MONDIACULT 2025: Ahead of hosting UNESCO’s MONDIACULT 2025 in Barcelona, Spain outlined its Strategic Plan for External Cultural Action (2025–2028). Key international steps in 2025–2026 include serving as guest of honour/focus country at major global forums (e.g., Angoulême Comics Festival 2025, Berlinale 2025), signing bilateral MoUs with Brazil in 2026 on ecological transition and cultural rights, and promoting Culture for Peace events in support of Palestine.
-
Expansion of Regional & Inclusive Legislative Frameworks: Several autonomous communities have strengthened rights-based approaches to cultural policy through legislative and strategic initiatives. These include Navarre’s Regional Act 1/2019 on Cultural Rights, the Canary Islands’ Act 1/2023 on the Public System of Culture, which frames the protection and promotion of cultural rights within an integrated institutional framework, and Galicia’s Act 3/2024 on Inclusive and Accessible Culture. These developments are complemented by the Basque Country’s Strategic Plan for Culture 2028 and ongoing parliamentary debate on Catalonia’s Draft Law on Cultural Rights.
-
Underdeveloped Cultural Democracy: While access and participation are stated objectives, the report highlights that generating demand outside mass culture remains complex, and cultural democratization—defined as citizens having a direct say in shaping their community’s cultural life—still “leaves considerable room for development”. In a context of increasing political polarisation and the weaponisation of historical narratives and cultural identities, the development of cultural democracy has also entailed a more active Democratic Memory agenda concerning the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) and the Francoist dictatorship (1939-1975).
-
Implementation of the Plan for Equality in Culture (2024–2026): Embedded within the broader cultural rights framework, this plan advances gender mainstreaming across public funding, institutional practices, and leadership roles to address persistent vertical segregation and underrepresentation of women in creative sectors.
📥 Full Document:
The complete Country Profile with detailed data and analyses is available for download here:
👉 Compendium Country Profile Spain 2026 (PDF)
👉 Read more: Explore complete data on national governance, financing, and policy structures on the Compendium website.
Comments are closed.