Castilla-La Mancha announces 400,000 euros in grants for regional trade fairs

The General Directorate of Tourism, Commerce, and Handicrafts of the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha has announced 400,000 euros in grants aimed at promoting the organization of trade fair activities in the region during the 2026 fiscal year. The resolution, signed on October 28, 2026, by the Director General Aránzazu Pérez Gil, is published in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha number 217, dated November 12, 2026 (reference 2026/8085), with an abstract identified in the National Grants Database under code BDNS 940359. The grants are processed through a competitive bidding process and cover a maximum of 50% of the expenditure considered eligible for the subsidy.

Two lines of aid and 200,000 euros for each

The call is structured into two distinct lines, each endowed with 200,000 euros. Line 1 is aimed at local entities of Castilla-La Mancha and is charged to budget item 1912/G/751E/46000; Line 2 benefits trade fair institutions, associations, foundations, and non-profit entities whose primary purpose is the encouragement, promotion, and development of commercial activity in the region, charged to budget item 1912/G/751E/48000. The grants in Line 2 are de minimis aid, subject to Regulation (EU) 2023/2831, with a limit of 300,000 euros per company over three years.

The total amount is charged to the budget items for the 2027 fiscal year, as the call is processed in advance, and is conditional upon the existence of adequate and sufficient credit. The maximum amount could be increased by up to an additional 100% per line if the availability of credit is declared, a fact that must be published in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha before the award resolution.

Amounts based on the score obtained

The maximum amounts per beneficiary depend on the project evaluation, which is scored out of a maximum of 100 points:

• Line 1 (local entities): 5,000 euros if the score is below 45 points; 10,000 euros between 45 and 59 points; 15,000 euros with 60 points or more.
• Line 2 (trade fair institutions and non-profit entities): 10,000 euros below 45 points; 20,000 euros between 45 and 59 points; 30,000 euros with 60 points or more.

The evaluation criteria are the degree of consolidation of the fair (up to 20 points), the classification—sectoral or multisectoral—(15), the number of retail trade stands (20), the territorial scope, which reaches 20 points if it is regional (20), direct sales to the public (10), and the location in municipalities within priority areas of Law 5/2017 (15). An additional score of 20%, 30%, or 40% is added for applications in municipalities at risk or with intense depopulation.

Deadlines, expenses, and justification

Applications must be submitted within one month from the day following the publication of the call and its summary in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha, electronically and with an electronic signature via the standardized form (Annex I) of the Junta’s electronic office. Only one application per entity is permitted, in which aid may be requested for one or several trade fair activities.

The eligible period spans from December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2026, and activities must not have started before December 1, 2025. Eligible expenses include the rental of the venue, the assembly and disassembly of facilities and stands, decoration, non-permanent supplies, hostesses, cleaning, maintenance and security, organization and management, advertising campaigns, promotional material, social media management, mandatory insurance, and animation activities. Recoverable VAT, financial and advisory expenses, personnel costs, the entity’s own current expenses, fixed assets, accommodation and catering, tastings, and prizes are excluded.

The resolution and notification of the procedure are the responsibility of the General Directorate of Tourism, Trade and Handicrafts, with a maximum period of three months from the end of the application period; administrative silence shall be understood as a rejection. An appeal may be filed against the resolution, which does not end the administrative route, before the Regional Ministry of Economy, Business and Employment within one month.

Regulatory Basis

The call derives from Order 190/2022, of September 9, of the Regional Ministry of Economy, Business and Employment, which establishes the regulatory bases for these grants and was published in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha number 192, of October 5, 2022. The summary now disseminated coincides with the text already published under code BDNS 940140, and the processing complies with Decree 21/2008, of February 5, regarding subsidies, and Decree 64/2025, regarding the organic structure of the Ministry.

The call continues the regional support for the trade fair calendar and arrives with the execution period already closed, meaning that interested entities must justify expenses already incurred. For small municipalities and trade fair institutions, these lines represent a direct means of financing commercial promotion, with an additional incentive for municipalities at risk of depopulation.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha, No. 217, November 12, 2026, section III, page 39857 (official reference: 2026/8085).