The Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory (MPTMD) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for designing and implementing government policy in the field of regional policy. In this role, it manages relations between the central government and regional and local governments, and coordinates the activity of the General State Administration throughout the country, primarily through Government Delegations and Sub-delegations. It is also responsible for designing and proposing government policy on historical and democratic memory.

However, it is not responsible for managing financial relations with the various public administrations, as this responsibility falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance, through the General Secretariat for Regional and Local Financing.

It was the first ministry created after the approval of the 1978 Constitution, with the aim of fulfilling the central government's responsibilities arising from the new territorial organization of the country established by the Constitution. Since 1980, its headquarters have been located at 3 Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid, in a building known as the Palace of the Marquess of Villamejor.

History This Ministry was first created in 1979 after the approval of the Constitution of 1978 in order to adapt the centralized administration to the new decentralized territorial administration. At the beginning, it assumed the relations with the already formed regions, the regions in process of formation and the local administration.

Previously, between 1977 and 1979 there was the figure of the Assistant Ministry of the Regions which, led by Manuel Clavero, developed the pre-autonomy agreements of the various regions and nationalities of Spain.

Initially it was endowed with a small structure, composed of a Undersecretariat, a Technical General Secretariat and two Directorates-General: Cooperation with Autonomous Regimes and Local Cooperation, this last transferred from the Ministry of the Interior.

In the words of Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez before the Congress of Deputies on 18 April 1979:

One year later, and with the aim of strengthening the administrative structures that facilitated the process of devolution to the Autonomous Communities, the Secretary of State for the Autonomous Communities, the Secretary of State for Local Corporations and the Directorate-General for Autonomic Development were created.After the arrival of the Socialist Workers' Party to the Government, in 1983 the Ministry was again the object of remodeling. The Secretary of State for Local Corporations disappeared and four Directorates-General were established: Autonomic Development; Cooperation with the Autonomous Communities; Local Management; and Local Cooperation.

The great reshuffle took place, nevertheless, in 1986, when the department was renamed «for the Public Administrations» and receives powers on Civil Service and Administrative Modernization that until that moment exerted the Ministry of the Presidency.

A new extension of powers took place in 1997, as a consequence of the approval of the Law 6/1997, of April 14, of Organization and Functioning of the General State Administration, which organically assigned to it the Government Delegations (until then dependents from Interior).

These three areas of activity (Relationship with Autonomous and Local Administrations, Civil Service, and coordination of the Government Delegations) have remained as the competence axis of the department, except for the period 2009–2010, in which the last two passed temporarily to the Ministry of the Presidency. These three areas of work (Relations with Autonomous and Local Administrations, Civil Service, and coordination of the Government Delegations) have remained as the responsibilities axis of the department, except for the period 2009–2010, in which the last two passed temporarily to the Ministry of the Presidency.

Since December 22, 2011, the powers of this department have been integrated in the Ministry of the Treasury, which was renamed the Ministry of the Treasury and Public Administration. All its functions were assigned to the Secretary of State for Public Administrations. In 2016, the functions of relations with the regions and local administrations were transferred to the Presidency Ministry and it wasn't until 2018 that this Ministry was recovered assuming all of its historic responsibilities.

Organization

The minister of territorial policy and democratic memory is the most senior official of the department. The ministers manages two main policies: government relations with other administrations and democratic memory, concerning the legacy of the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

To implement this policies, the minister is assisted by two secretaries of state and an under-secretary, who manages the ministry on a day-to-day basis. In addition, three commissioners, with the rank of under-secretaries, assist the minister in specific matters related to natural disasters and democratic memory.

, this is the organization of the Ministry: Ministry Organization (2026)MinisterCabinet (Chief of Staff)Special Commissioner for the Reconstruction of the island of La PalmaSpecial Commissioner for the Reconstruction and Repair of damage caused by the 2024 Spanish floodsCommissioner for the celebration of the 50 years of Spain in FreedomSecretary of State forTerritorial PolicyGeneral Secretariat for Territorial CoordinationDirectorate-General for Regional and Local CooperationDirectorate-General for Regional and Local Legal FrameworkDirectorate-General for the General State Administration in the TerritoryDeputy Directorate-General for European and International AffairsSecretary of State forDemocratic MemoryDirectorate-General for Victims AssistanceDirectorate-General for Democratic Memory PromotionUnder-SecretaryTechnical General SecretariatDeputy Directorate-General for the Budget Office and Economic ManagementDeputy Directorate-General for Human Resources and Inspection of ServicesAdministrative Office

Budget

For fiscal year 2026, the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory has a consolidated budget of €411.4 million.

The budget is divided in five programs:

Central Services (Program 921M), which covers the costs of the internal structure and administrative functioning of the department. General State Administration in the Territory (921P), which funds the peripheral structure that enables the presence and coordination of the Government across all regions and local entities. State Organization and Cooperation Systems (922M), which allocates resources to institutional coordination between the central government, the regions, and local entities. Democratic Memory (925M), which provides funding for the implementation of the measures set out in the Democratic Memory Law. Economic Cooperation (942A), an economic instrument through which the central government provides financial support to and strengthens local entities, ensuring their capacity to provide public services.

List of officeholders Office name: Ministry of Territorial Administration (1979–1986) Ministry for Public Administrations (1986–2009) Ministry of Territorial Policy (2009–2010; 2021–2023) Ministry of Territorial Policy and Public Administrations (2010–2011) Ministry of Territorial Policy and Civil Service (2016–2021) Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory (2023–present)

Portrait Name Term of office Party Government Prime Minister Antonio Fontán 1979 1980 UCD Suárez III Adolfo Suárez José Pedro Pérez-Llorca 1980 1980 UCD Rodolfo Martín Villa 1980 1981 UCD 1981 1981 Calvo-SoteloLeopoldo Calvo-Sotelo Rafael Arias-Salgado 1981 1982 UCD Luis Cosculluela 1982 1982 Independent Tomás de la Quadra-Salcedo 1982 1985 PSOE González IFelipe González Félix Pons 1985 1986 PSOE Javier Moscoso 1986 1986 Independent Joaquín Almunia 1986 1989 PSOE González II 1989 1991González III Juan Manuel Eguiagaray 1991 1993 PSOE Jerónimo Saavedra 1993 1995 PSOE González IV Joan Lerma 1995 1996 PSOE Mariano Rajoy 1996 1999 PP Aznar I José María Aznar Ángel Acebes 1999 2000 PP Jesús Posada 2000 2002 PP Aznar II Javier Arenas 2002 2003 PP Julia García-Valdecasas 2003 2004 PP Jordi Sevilla 2004 2007 PSOE Zapatero I José LuisRodríguez Zapatero Elena Salgado 2007 2008 Independent 2008 2009 Zapatero II Manuel Chaves 2009 2011 PSOE Meritxell Batet 2018 2019 PSC–PSOE Sánchez I Pedro Sánchez Luis Planas 2019 2020 PSOE Carolina Darias 2020 2021 PSOE Sánchez II Miquel Iceta 2021 2021 PSC–PSOE Isabel Rodríguez 2021 2023 PSOE Ángel Víctor Torres 2023 Incumbent PSOE Sánchez III

Notes

References

Spanish Cabinets at CSIC website

External links "Ministerio de Política Territorial" official page