Extremadura multiplies bullfighting subsidies fivefold while slashing development aid

Extremadura multiplies bullfighting aid by five while dismantling international cooperation

The new PP and Vox government of the Junta de Extremadura (the regional authority) has approved a 500% increase in subsidies for bullfighting. At the same time, the budget of the Agencia Extremeña de Cooperación Internacional (AEXCID, the region's development aid agency) has been cut from 11 million euros to less than 3, a collapse of 87% that has forced the resignation of its director and will leave the post vacant. The decision, carried out in just a few months, reopens the debate over the use of public money in the autonomous community with the lowest per capita income in Spain.

500% more for bullfighting: how much money is involved?

The percentage increase sounds like a scandal, but the absolute figures invite nuance. According to data used by analysts, the total amount allocated to bullfighting is around 1.78 million euros, a sum that, despite the relative increase, remains modest in the context of the region's 6,000-million-euro budget. The regional government's argument is that bullfighting creates jobs, maintains the dehesa (traditional pastureland) and attracts tourism. However, Extremaduran media have pointed out that many bullrings record very low attendance, and that the direct economic return on the subsidies is questionable.

The cuts to development aid: from 11 to 3 million

Far more drastic is the cut to the Agencia Extremeña de Cooperación Internacional. AEXCID, which managed funds for development projects in poorer countries, has seen its budget reduced by 87%. The agency's director resigned after the regional government announced that her post would be left vacant to save 90,000 euros a year. The cut hits awareness-raising and humanitarian aid programmes hard, to the point that internal sources claim the agency has been practically dismantled. Meanwhile, the AEXCID website had not been updated since 2021, which some interpret as a sign of prior neglect.

The dilemma: cultural subsidy or productive investment?

The underlying economic debate pits two visions against each other. Those who defend aid to bullfighting argue that it is a strategic sector that keeps the dehesa alive, generates rural employment and is part of the cultural heritage. On the other side, critics maintain that public money should go to social policies, healthcare, education or infrastructure, especially in a region with high unemployment and poverty rates. The contrast with the cut to international cooperation reinforces the thesis that the new government's priority is economically and culturally conservative, favouring traditional identity over global solidarity.

What does the opposition say?

The PSOE (Spain's Socialist Party) and other parties have harshly criticised the measure, calling it identity propaganda and a waste of money. The reduction of AEXCID, in particular, has been described as a lack of commitment to the sustainable development goals. At the opposite end, bullfighting sectors and their political defenders consider it a necessary rebalancing after years of — in their view — excessive funding for NGOs and social movements that generate no return for the region.

The decision by PP and Vox in Extremadura is not an isolated event. In other regions where they govern, similar patterns are observed: increased funding for traditions and symbolism, and cuts to cooperation policies and social rights. The question that remains is whether this commitment to bullfighting will manage to reverse the demographic and economic decline of a land losing population at a rapid pace, or whether, on the contrary, it will become a lavish expense difficult to justify to the people of Extremadura.