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1. Existence of a national strategy

2. Scope and contents

3. Responsible authority for the implementation of the strategy

4. Revisions/updates

Existence of a national strategy

Spain does not yet have a dedicated strategy labelled solely for youth creativity and culture that is uniformly applied across all regions. 

Historically, the principal national initiative in this domain was the 2020 Culture Plan (Plan de Cultura 2020), which comprised 150 projects under five broad objectives (promote a quality cultural offer; update the legal framework; foster a social alliance for culture; extend Spanish culture abroad; promote creative activity). Its evaluation suggested that it functioned more as an internal management instrument of the superior body than as a uniform, comprehensive plan.

in July 2025 the Cultural Rights Plan 2025-2023 (Plan de Derechos Culturales 2025-2030) was launched by the Ministry of Culture. The Plan articulates culture as a fundamental human right and a public good and lays out 146 measures with an initial investment of approximately €79 million (of which some €46 million represent new public investment). While its framing is broader than strictly youth creativity and culture, it explicitly emphasises universal access, participation of all people (including young people), territorial cohesion, and the professionalisation of cultural creators. In this sense it represents the most up-to-date national strategic framework for culture into which youth-creativity considerations are embedded.

In parallel, the state strategy for cultural and creative sectors is reinforced via the national Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP), funded by Next Generation EU, and specifically through its cultural-industry components (e.g., Component 24: Culture and Creative Industries; Component 25: Audiovisual0). Within this context, the government has signalled higher priority for:

• youth access
• digitalisation
• cultural industries
• and the status of artists. 

The territorial dimension of culture is further addressed by the Territorial Culture Ecosystem Plan (Plan de ayudas para ampliar y diversificar la oferta cultural en áreas no urbanas) aimed to diversify cultural supply across rural and non-urban areas. The programme allocated €20 million to over 400 projects across Spain between 2022 and 2023 aimed at strengthening cultural participation and creative ecosystems outside major cities. The Territorial Culture Ecosystem Portal includes a map of beneficiary projects.

Taken together, these frameworks provide the operational strategy for youth creativity and culture. 

Scope and contents

Under the RTRP, for example in Component 24 (Culture and Creative Industries), the key actions include:

• The development of the Artist’s Statute (Estatuto del Artista) and promotion of private investment, patronage and participation in culture.
• Strengthening copyright and related rights.
• Improving the competitiveness of cultural industries.
• Territorial dynamisation of culture, facilitating access across the national territory with a focus on sustainability and consolidation of the sector.
• Digitalisation and promotion of major cultural services (large-scale cultural supply, talent attraction, efficient management).

A further Component 25 is dedicated is dedicated to modernisation, digitalisation, and internationalisation of the audiovisual sector, with youth explicitly identified as a priority group.

The Digital Rights Plan complements and overlays these frameworks by setting out a rights-based approach: guaranteeing universal participation, acknowledging diverse practices, promoting decent working conditions in the sector, supporting education and mediation in culture, and reinforcing inclusion, sustainability and territorial equity.

Originally the PRTR cultural-industry elements estimated a final direct investment in the order of €325 million for strengthening the cultural industry. That figure remains indicative, though more recent documentation suggests the total investment across cultural-industry instruments is larger and now includes the multi-measure rights-plan investment of ~€79 million for 2025-30 (see the Ministry of Culture 08/07/2025 Press Release).

Responsible authority for the implementation of the strategy

For the Digital Rights Plan, the General Directorate of Cultural Rights (Dirección General de Derechos Culturales), created in 2024 within the Ministry of Culture, oversees the governance and follow-up of the Plan; an external evaluation is scheduled for December 2027 and a final evaluation for June 2030.

Implementation of the RTRP as a whole, including the cultural components, is governed by:

• The Commission for Recovery, Transformation and Resilience (chaired by the President, with all ministries) – relevant for coordination of the RTRP.
• A Technical Committee comprised of up to 20 members experienced in EU funds management.
• The Monitoring Unit, under the Presidency of the Government, tasked with plan oversight.
• The Mechanism for Recovery and Resilience, managed by the General Secretariat of European Funds of the Ministry of Finance.
• The ControlAuthority (Intervención General de la Administración del Estado, IGAE) responsible for financial-management control and auditing.

Revisions/updates

The implementation of the RTRP’s cultural components is scheduled to mobilise funds through 2026 and beyond. Notable recent developments (2023-2025) include:

• Tax-incentive measures in the cultural industry via transposition of European directives.
• The “Spain Audiovisual Hub of Europe” plan — to position Spain as a production/investment hub in the audiovisual sector.
• Ongoing reform of the Artist’s Statute, which is advancing parliamentary processing in 2024-2025.
• Deployment of the Territorial Culture Ecosystem Plan (Plan de ayudas para ampliar y diversificar la oferta cultural en áreas no urbanas) to develop cultural-ecosystem projects in non-urban territories (initial budget of €20 million for 2022-23).
• Publication and mobilising of the Digital Rights Plan (2025-2030) with its 146 measures and ~€79 million investment.

Future updates should monitor how the Digital Rights Plan’s measures translate into youth-creativity specific actions, how regional coordination evolves, and any new youth-labelled strategy emerges.