A decade waiting for a Catalan patronage law

Barcelona"Catalonia, which has always been a pioneer in many areas, still doesn't have its own patronage law. We can't be the last to have one," says Enric Rius, advisor to the Catalunya Cultura Foundation in the drafting of a proposed Catalan patronage law. Parliament is certainly late. At least, later than La Rioja, Castilla-La Mancha, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, Navarre, and the Basque Country. "The consensus to pass the law is there, but what's needed is to prioritize it," adds Rius. The hottest issue is out of the kitchen sink, but there's still no agreement to bring it to the table and defend it as a national initiative rather than a partisan badge.

The Catalonia Culture Foundation, which is celebrating Business and Culture Night on Tuesday, October 14th at the Petit Palau de la Música, established the Patronage Platform in 2016, with the aim of bringing together organizations and institutions from the cultural, social, scientific, medical, and third sector to generate both in Catalonia and in the Spanish state. It was successful in extremis in the State when Congress validated a decree law, and in January 2024 it came into force the reform of state law, which, among other things, introduces a significant incentive of up to 80% income tax deduction for donations of up to €250. "It boosts crowdfunding, which is extremely important," Rius recalls.

However, the proposal drafted by the foundation is taking longer to make it through Parliament. "We hope it will happen in this term," says Maite Esteve, director of the Fundació Catalunya Cultura. "The regional patronage laws only have the power to legislate on a small section of personal income tax, but even so, there is room for improvement," explains Esteve, who points to the French law of 2003, the so-called Aillagon law (named after Minister Jean-Jacques Aillagon), and a European reality where "the decision-making capacity of each individual" is 5%, while in Catalonia and Spain it is 2%," as stated in the document from the Fundació Catalunya Cultura.

The foundation's proposal is in line with what was achieved in Congress, but with an important nuance. "The Spanish law is purely fiscal, about tax incentives, but at no point does it mention the promotion of patronage or the promotion of the artist, which are aspects that we do take into account," says Rius. For example, he proposes the creation of a Council for the Promotion of Patronage, like the one that exists in France, which would depend on of the Department of the Presidency, whose function would be to establish a permanent observatory of the reality of patronage and philanthropy that shares and promotes good practices. "This culture of patronage must be explained and promoted, and this is where the Generalitat can act decisively," says Rius. The foundation's proposal also includes support measures for artists and creators—"We would like the Catalan law to open a door that would later facilitate the approval of the artist statute at the state level," adds Rius—and, in general, conveys the public service vocation of patronage, with details such as tax benefits for acquisitions that are publicly displayed in Catalonia for at least ten years."

The Night of Business and Culture

The need for a Catalan patronage law or, as Maite Esteve says, "that patronage be normalized", is part of the conversations and speeches that take place year after year in Business and Culture Night, during which the Impulsa Cultura and Empresa Cultura awards will be presented. This year, the event will take place on Tuesday, October 14th, at the Petit Palau de la Música, with the presence of the Speaker of the Parliament of Catalonia, Josep Rull; the Regional Minister of Culture, Sònia Hernández; and the Regional Minister of Business and Employment, Miquel Sàmper. In other words, three figures with the capacity to get to work and push the Parliament to consider the need to approve the patronage law this term.

The finalist projects for the Impulsa Cultura 2025 award, worth 15,000 euros, are the Fastt Micropueblos Performing Arts Festival, Girem Full! Books Against Cancer, the GIO Symphonia, the Sinérico music therapy project, and the Vibez Festival of Young Digital Culture. The Business Culture Award will recognize two companies: one in the large company category and the other in the small and medium-sized company category, for their outstanding contribution to promoting culture in the business world.