The Galician Minister of Culture, Language and Youth, José López Campos, expressed his concerns in Parliament regarding the lack of progress on the construction of a public library in Vigo. He stated that the Xunta de Galicia has been waiting for years for the central government to provide this essential facility, with no updates on the project as of now.
In response to a parliamentary question, López Campos noted that after several years of delays, the city council formalised the transfer of land for the library's construction last month, which had been one of the obstacles hindering the process.
The Galician government representative emphasised that the Ministry of Culture received an updated needs assessment for the future State Public Library of Vigo in July 2025. This plan was an adaptation of a report initially submitted in 2020, fulfilling commitments made during a visit from Minister Ernest Urtasun.
López Campos reiterated that the Xunta is prepared to manage the library with its own funds once it is built, as it does in other cities. He urged for swift action on this crucial project, highlighting that Vigo, a city with a large population, currently lacks a state library, unlike other smaller cities that have this infrastructure.
The Galician government has defended the proposed dimensions of the library, advocating for a building of 8,000 square metres, which was accepted by the central government, moving away from an earlier plan that suggested a smaller facility. As López Campos pointed out, this library is expected to become a significant cultural landmark for the city, surpassing the libraries in Ourense (7,000 m²), Santiago de Compostela (5,800 m²), and A Coruña (6,200 m²).
