The Councillor for Culture, Linguistic Policy, and Sports, Vanessa Gutiérrez, detailed today the main initiatives of her department announced by the President of the Principality, Adrián Barbón, during the political orientation debate.
The most significant commitment for 2027 is to allocate €4.8 million to support federations, clubs, and high-level athletes through three key areas aimed at promoting sports in Asturias. This includes €2 million for federations, €2.5 million for high-level clubs, and €300,000 for high-performance athletes.
Gutiérrez also highlighted additional measures to promote sports practice and contribute to the economic dynamism of local councils. Next year, €350,000 will be allocated to fund sporting events, and the budget for improving sports facilities in municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants will increase to €400,000. This funding, which was €200,000 in 2026, supported projects from 22 local entities.
In addition to increased resources, the councillor referred to new aids aimed at supporting sports professionals who are mothers, with the guidelines published yesterday in the Official Bulletin of the Principality, as well as the creation of a line dedicated to grassroots sports clubs.
These measures complement initiatives such as the School Sports Games and the Active Exercise Units (UAEF), which allow for the prescription of physical activity in coordination with health authorities and under the supervision of physical education professionals.
Gutiérrez emphasized the value of sports infrastructure as elements of economic and social dynamism, particularly in high mountain areas. She listed the comprehensive renovation of Valgrande-Pajares, which involves an investment of over €20 million; historic advancements at Fuentes de Invierno following an agreement with the León Provincial Council that enabled its electrical connection and the removal of generators. She also underscored the importance of updating the Environmental Impact Declaration to allow year-round use of the station, as well as the comprehensive transformation of the Brañagallones mountain shelter in Alto Nalón.
These three initiatives will pave the way for new challenges, including the study of shared management models between Asturian and Leonese stations to optimize resources and strengthen a major mountain domain in northern Spain.
The councillor positioned access to culture across the territory as another key focus of her department, a priority that is materializing into an increasingly broad network of programs, facilities, and projects aimed at ensuring equal cultural opportunities regardless of residence. Programs such as Asturies, Cultura en Rede, and the Didactic Tour have already surpassed 1,200 annual activities in collaboration with nearly all Asturian municipalities this year.
This strategy is complemented by the Network of Ethnographic Museums, the Linguistic Normalization Network, and the newly created Network of Theatres and Auditoriums of Asturias (Retea), which has already opened its first call and will begin programming activities by the end of this year.
Furthermore, Gutiérrez announced the development of a cultural internationalization strategy to strengthen the presence of Asturian creators and companies at national and international fairs, festivals, professional networks, and markets. In line with this, an artistic residency program will be launched at the Faro de Tapia, designed as a contemporary creation space to support Asturian cultural talent.
Among the planned measures is the creation of a single portal that will gather programming and cultural initiatives taking place in Asturias, aimed at improving their dissemination and accessibility.
The councillor also highlighted the role of the library network and the commitment to develop a Library Action Plan and Reading Promotion Plan to guide public policies in the sector, with special attention to children, youth, individuals with greater access difficulties, and creation in local languages.
As part of this effort to ensure equal access to culture, a new library bus service aimed at councils with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants will begin operating in 2027.
Gutiérrez informed about the actions her department is taking regarding linguistic policy and the protection of cultural heritage. She mentioned the implementation of the Asturian and Eonaviegu Normalization Strategy 2026-2030, linguistic usage guidelines, the Eslema translator, which now includes translation into Eonaviegu, and technological developments linked to the Topía project.
She also noted that the Linguistic Normalization Network will receive €442,000 in regional funding in 2027. Regarding intangible cultural heritage, the councillor explained that the Principality is processing five procedures for declaring the mining culture, Asturian bagpipe culture, Asturian dances, cheese culture, and winter masks as Cultural Heritage of Interest (BIC), with the expectation of completing this process by 2027.
Additionally, she recalled the recent presentation of the technical report that will serve as the basis for initiating the declaration procedure for mining culture as intangible BIC. Simultaneously, Asturias is supporting the international candidacy related to Santa Bárbara and mining traditions.
“We have many reasons to argue for our identity, our languages, and our culture, many proposals to protect and promote them with the aim of transmitting them to future generations,” the councillor stated.
Gutiérrez also emphasized one of the president's commitments, which she described as the most far-reaching: the proposal for the Law of Culture and Identity of the Principality of Asturias, which has already been registered in the General Board by the parliamentary groups supporting the Asturias government.
“We are talking about recognizing culture as an essential right, as a common good, and also as a factor for social, territorial, and economic development; recognizing cultural and linguistic rights, protecting the rights of creators and cultural sectors, and articulating a Culture System of Asturias where administrations, public facilities, and cultural agents can cooperate,” she indicated.
“Betting on Asturias requires commitment, responsibility, and proposals,” she concluded, before noting that the actions outlined will be included in the 2027 budget, the approval of which is necessary for them to become a reality.
