To foster a cross-cutting approach within the cultural field, a number of collegiate bodies have been established through which different levels of public administration—as well as different departments within the same level—cooperate.
Traditional inter-ministerial cooperation initiatives include the “1% Cultural Programme”, funded through allocations from major public works, whereby a minimum percentage of infrastructure investment (originally 1%, later raised to 1.5% and currently set up to 2% under updated regulations since 2021) is reserved for the conservation, restoration, and enhancement of Spanish cultural heritage, as well as for supporting artistic creation, under the framework of the Spanish Historical Heritage Act (Act 16/1985). The programme is jointly coordinated between the Ministry of Culture and the state infrastructure ministry (currently the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, with participation from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda where relevant), through inter-ministerial mechanisms that support the identification, selection, and financing of heritage-related interventions linked to public investment projects.
There are also numerous and diverse inter‑ministerial bodies and initiatives. For example:
- The Ministries of Culture and Labour have promoted a ‘Social Economy Agenda for Culture’, aimed at strengthening cultural cooperatives and worker‑owned companies.
- The Ministries of Culture and the Interior have reached an agreement to promote culture as a tool for intervention within the prison system.
- The Ministry of Culture and Correos have signed an agreement to support local independent bookshops, with the aim of improving their competitiveness by boosting online sales and expanding distribution networks.
In terms of intergovernmental co-operation, the State is constitutionally mandated to promote cultural communication among the different regions “in collaboration with them.” To this end, the central government has established a dedicated unit, currently titled the Sub-Directorate General for Cultural Cooperation with the Autonomous Communities, within the Directorate-General for Cultural Rights of the Ministry of Culture. The unit’s tasks include cooperating with the regions on their cultural programmes; fostering interregional communication in this field; promoting awareness of the richness and diversity of regional cultural heritage; and facilitating the exchange of information on cultural policies. It is also responsible for ensuring that the cultural diversity of Spain’s regions is promoted internationally, a task carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, as well as Spanish embassies and consulates worldwide.
In practice, the mechanisms for coordinating central and regional government activities in cultural matters have operated with varying degrees of effectiveness. The Plenary Session of the Sectoral Conference on Culture met once during the third legislature (1986–1989), twice during both the fourth (1989–1993) and fifth (1993–1996) legislatures, and did not meet during the sixth and seventh legislatures (1996–2004). It met eight times during the eighth legislature (2004–2008), nine times during the ninth legislature (2008–2011), and seven times during the tenth legislature (December 2011–December 2015). The Plenary Session did not meet during the eleventh legislature (December 2015–July 2016), met once during the twelfth (July 2016–June 2018) and thirteenth (June 2018–November 2019) legislatures, and six times during both the fourteenth (December 2019–July 2023) and the current fifteenth legislature (August 2023–present). The latest Sectoral Conference took place in April 2026, during which a transfer of 14.5 million euros was approved for all Autonomous Communities, as well as Ceuta and Melilla.
Recovering and preserving national heritage is the area in which coordinated action by different levels of government has proven most effective. Since the early 1990s, there has been a proliferation of cooperation agreements across levels of government, particularly in relation to major urban development projects linked to the construction or rehabilitation of emblematic cultural sites. One illustrative example is the Council of St. James, established in 2001 as a cooperation body to facilitate coordination between the central administration and the participating Autonomous Communities (Aragon, Asturias, the Basque Country, Cantabria, Castile and León, Catalonia, Galicia, La Rioja, and Navarre).
Beyond the heritage field, and within the framework of the Sectoral Conference of Culture, several working groups have been created, bringing together representatives of the central administration and the Autonomous Communities. These groups aim to promote communication and cooperation in a range of areas, including cinematography and audiovisual policy, video games, musical heritage, and other cultural domains.
As for relations among the regions themselves, the level of information and technical exchange is extremely low, with the exception of the historic communities. Collaboration between Catalonia and the Basque Country has materialised over the years in numerous projects and the exchange of information and experiences on their cultural policies. In recent years, the Departments of Culture of these communities, together with Occitanie Pyrénées–Méditerranée, have collaborated within the ARTIS+ programme, which aims to improve inclusion and accessibility in cultural facilities across the cross‑border area through initiatives targeting groups at higher risk of exclusion due to disability or social factors.
Similarly, very little progress has been made in inter-regional and national-regional co-ordination to project Spanish culture internationally. The notable exception has been the Ramon Llull Institute, a public body to promote Catalan language and culture abroad.
In terms of cooperation at the municipal level, aside from the above-mentioned examples involving central and regional government and the councils of certain cities, mention should also be made of the assistance provided by certain regional governments for local townships. For example, the Island Councils of the Canaries and the Provincial Councils of some regions, mainly the Basque Country and Catalonia, have contributed to the development of inter-municipal cultural activities through museums, libraries, archives and local theatre tours. Municipal culture departments have also worked together with their colleagues responsible for urban development, education or tourism.
Since the Agenda 21 for Culture was approved on 8 May 2004, a growing number of Spanish cities and municipalities have adopted it at local government level. To promote the principles enshrined in the document, the United Cities and Local Governments established a Working Group on Culture, which is chaired by the Councillor for Culture of the Barcelona City Council. The Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces also has a Commission on Culture to provide local governments with useful planning and evaluation tools.
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