Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda announces new funding to finance Spanish Historical Heritage conservation projects

The Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda will provide 61 million euros of this funding, which will be spread over 2020 (20.5 million euros) and 2021 (40.5 million euros).

The purpose of this funding is to support, through co-financing with the owner, the recovery or enrichment of assets declared as Heritage of Cultural Interest (Spanish acronym: BIC) that are publicly owned and for public use or for private not-for-profit use but given public use status. Any real estate assets forming part of the UNESCO World Heritage network may also apply.

This new funding is expected to mobilise a total investment of over 91.5 million euros and create around 4,500 jobs besides those that may also be created through tourism, cultural and social activity that is always associated with the recovery of historical heritage.

Enrichment of Historical Heritage

Article 68.1 of Law 16/1985, of 25 June, on Spanish Historical Heritage, and Royal Decree 111/1986, of 10 January, provide that the budget for each public works project financed in whole or in part by the State will include an amount of no less than 1% of the funds contributed by the State to the financing of Spanish Historical Heritage conservation or enrichment projects, or the promotion of artistic creativity.

Since October 2013, this percentage has increased in terms of funds from the former Ministry of Public Works to 1.5% of said contributions.

For the joint action by the current Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda and the Ministry of Culture and Sport in this regard, the 7th Partnership Agreement was signed on 7 June 2017 establishing the general terms governing the management of funding provided by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda to this end.

The selection and prioritisation criteria applied to projects requesting financing from these funds are defined in Order FOM/1932/2014, which approved the regulatory bases for the concession of funding for Spanish Historical Heritage conservation or enrichment actions drawn against resources coming from the public works financed by the current Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda and dependent or associated public sector entities.

Spain is the country with the third-highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Fully aware of these cultural, tourism and social resources with the ability to regenerate urban and rural environments, the Government of Spain is more committed than ever to restoring and enriching the historical, cultural and artistic heritage of Spanish towns and cities, as well as associated assets.

1.5% Cultural Programme

The Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda finances a large number of Spanish Historical Heritage projects by contributing 1.5% of the public works managed by the ministerial department itself.

Since the first partnership agreement with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport in 1994, the now Ministry of Public Works has financed a total of 1,271 projects and contributed approximately 770 million euros. This has led to the mobilisation of slightly over one billion euros through co-financing efforts with the heritage asset owners. Projects have taken place in over 600 municipalities throughout Spain, underlining this programme as a fine example of inter-governmental collaboration.

The Joint 1.5% Cultural Committee, made up by the then Ministry of Public Works and Ministry of Education, Cultural and Sport, provisionally approved funding for 99 projects under the previous round of funding that was announced in 2018. The now Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda will contribute a total of 51 million euros between 2019 and 2020 in addition to those funds already allocated for Spanish Historical Heritage recovery and enrichment projects.

Non official translation