Aragón distributes 4.4 million in grants for demolitions in depopulated municipalities

The Government of Aragon has made public the provisional resolution proposal for the call for grants to local entities for the carrying out, during 2026, of knock-downs and demolitions of buildings, funded by the Territorial Cohesion Fund. The resolution, signed on September 30, 2026, by the Director General of Depopulation, Alberto Casañal Pina, is published in the Official Gazette of Aragon number 199, of October 14, 2026, in section III of other provisions and agreements (official reference BOA20261014015). Interested local entities have five business days from the day following publication to submit allegations.

The call derives from Order VFL/806/2026, of May 19, published in the Official Gazette of Aragon number 105, of June 4, 2026, and is supported by the regulatory bases approved by Order VMV/1795/2021, of November 30, in development of the Special Territorial Planning Guideline for Demographic Policy and against Depopulation, approved by Decree 165/2017, of October 31. The territorial framework is completed by the Territorial Planning Strategy of Aragon (Decree 202/2014, of December 2) and article 45 of Law 17/2023, of December 22, on the Budgets of the Autonomous Community of Aragon for 2024, extended for 2026, which regulates the Territorial Cohesion Fund.

An allocation of 4.4 million divided between 2026 and 2027

The seventh section of the call order sets a total amount of 4,400,000 euros, charged to the budget application 13070/G/1260/760145/91002 (PEP 2018/000140) of the budgets of the Autonomous Community of Aragon. The annual distribution is as follows:

• 2,200,000 euros for the 2026 financial year.
• 2,200,000 euros for the 2027 financial year.

The individualized amount per beneficiary entity reaches up to 100% of the duly justified eligible expenditure. The period to execute the subsidized activity spans from January 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027, both inclusive.

Approved, rejected, and inadmissible: the five annexes

Following the end of the application submission period on July 16, 2026, and the processing of corrections, the Technical Valuation Commission issued a report on September 29, 2026. Based on this, the provisional proposal is structured into five annexes:

• Annex I: applications admitted for processing and the score obtained in each criterion, ordered by submission date.
• Annex II: applications granted in full or in part, for a global amount of 4,377,875.38 euros, including the beneficiary entity, objective, score, amounts requested and granted, and reasons for partial granting.
• Annex III: applications rejected due to insufficient allocated credit.
• Annex IV: applications deemed inadmissible, including the reasons for inadmissibility in each case.
• Annex V: applications from local entities that have withdrawn from the procedure.

The annexes can be consulted at the electronic address of the General Directorate of Depopulation enabled for this purpose on the Government of Aragon website.

New evaluation criteria and destination of funds

As a novelty compared to the 2024 call, two evaluation criteria are incorporated: the technical viability of the project, which scores higher when endorsed by the competent professional association, and the prior receipt of aid from this administration on the same subject. The aim is to prioritize technically verified projects and territorially redistribute aid toward applications that have not received subsidies in previous years.

The stated objective is to promote the rehabilitation, regeneration, and urban sanitation of localities with lower territorial development through the demolition of buildings in poor condition or ruins, improving the health, safety, aesthetics, and functionality of urban centers. This line is framed within axis 2 of the Special Guideline, dedicated to the rehabilitation of municipal public heritage, and seeks to free up urban land for housing construction, which is especially scarce in these settlements.

Allegations and final resolution

Allegations must be submitted electronically through the Electronic Office of the Public Administration of Aragon, locating the number 11424 or the name “Territorial Cohesion Fund Grants for Local Entities-Demolitions and knock-downs- 2026 Call” in the procedure search engine, and shall be addressed to the General Directorate competent in matters of depopulation.

The final resolution of the grant shall correspond, in order, to the head of the Department of Housing, Development, Logistics, and Territorial Cohesion, in accordance with Decree 129/2026, of July 22, which approves its organic structure. The provisional proposal does not create any right against the administration until the final resolution is notified, according to article 25.5 of the consolidated text of the Subsidies Law of Aragon, approved by Legislative Decree 2/2023, of May 3.

The measure directly affects rural town councils with degraded heritage, which face the cost of demolishing ruined buildings without sufficient economic capacity. The publication of the provisional proposal opens the final window for allegations before the distribution of the 4.4 million is finalized; therefore, councils aspiring to finance demolitions must verify their score and their inclusion in the annexes within five business days.

Source: Official Gazette of Aragon, number 199, of October 14, 2026, section III, page 17313 (official reference: BOA20261014015).