The Culture Department of the Valencian Government presents its 2026 budgets, marking the third set of accounts for the current legislature, each overseen by a different minister. Following the groundwork laid by Vicente Barrera (Vox) and continued by José Antonio Rovira, Carmen Ortí now takes the helm, maintaining the direction established by her predecessors.
Key highlights of the budget include significant funding for the Toro de Lidia Foundation, initially championed by Barrera and now transferred from Culture to Emergencies. Controversy has also arisen over a 5 million euro subsidy for filming part of the movie Enredados in the Valencian Community, an allocation that has sparked strong opposition from the Valencian audiovisual sector.
“"They are desperate due to the lack of resources, because the aid is not arriving…"
During the presentation of the 2026 budget proposal in Les Corts (Valencian Parliament), the opposition strongly criticized this aid, described as 'ad hoc' by Compromís deputy Verònica Ruiz, who questioned the sector's competitiveness under such measures. Ruiz, wearing a t-shirt with the slogan 'Institut Violent amb la Cultura' (Violent Institute with Culture), denounced the scarcity of resources and delays in aid disbursement. Minister Ortí, however, emphasized ongoing dialogue with the sectors and highlighted the department's historic investment, which is 11.68 million euros more than in 2023.
Minister Ortí's department sees a general budget increase to 7,749 million euros. However, the Culture area's allocation will decrease to 190.6 million euros, down from the 207 million projected for 2025. The minister described this as a "transition towards balanced reinforcement" following the recent floods.
The opposition also pointed to cuts in aid for Valencian literature and other cultural entities. Nevertheless, Ortí denied cuts "in cultural spaces" and asserted that "the Botànic (previous government) budgeted but did not execute".
Cultural heritage is consolidated as a central pillar of the budget. The Plan Restaura will receive 19.95 million euros for conservation and restoration, with planned interventions at the Monastery of Santa María de la Valldigna, the Cartuja de Valldecrist, the farmhouses of Morella, and the monumental complex of Sagunto. Additionally, 9 million euros are allocated for competitive rehabilitation calls, 8.6 million for assets affected by the Dana (Mediterranean storm), and 6 million for restoring listed buildings (BIC and BRL) impacted by the floods.
