The Provincial Council of Cáceres opens 50,000 euros in grants for rural pharmacies

The Provincial Council of Cáceres has opened the call for grants under a direct award regime for pharmacy offices in a situation of compromised economic viability (VEC) in the province, with a total allocation of 50,000 euros. The call and its regulatory bases are published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Cáceres number 162, dated August 25, 2026, in Section I of Local Administration.

The measure, signed on August 21 by the first vice-president of Territory, Equality, and Culture, María Esther Gutiérrez Morán, by delegation of the Presidency, seeks to guarantee the rural population’s access to medications and curb depopulation. The extract of the call appears in the National Grants Database with the identifier BDNS 926026.

Purpose and beneficiaries

Beneficiaries may be VEC pharmacy offices located in municipalities or smaller local entities of fewer than 20,000 inhabitants in the province of Cáceres that do not fall under the prohibitions of Article 13 of Law 38/2003, General Law on Subsidies. Owners must provide the certificate of their VEC status for 2026 issued by the Ministry of Health and Dependency Care of the Junta de Extremadura and remain active until December 31, 2026.

The individual amount will be calculated by dividing the 50,000 euros by the number of pharmacies that meet the requirements and submit the application correctly. The grants, classified as de minimis according to Regulation (EU) 2023/2831, will be 100% prepayable and compatible with others of the same purpose, without exceeding the cost of the subsidized activity.

Deadlines and processing

Processing will be entirely electronic through the electronic office of the Provincial Council (https://sede.dip-caceres.es). The deadline for submitting applications is 20 business days from the day following the publication of the extract in the gazette.

• Execution period: from January 1 to December 31, 2026.
• Justification period: until March 31, 2027.
• Deadline to resolve and notify: 6 months from the publication of the extract.
• Documentation: certificate of registration in economic activities, VEC 2026 certificate, and a responsible declaration of not exceeding the limit of 300,000 euros in de minimis aid over three years.

Justification for direct award

The Provincial Council justifies the direct award regime for reasons of public interest, social interest, and territorial cohesion, as it concerns an essential health service in municipalities affected by depopulation, aging, and geographical dispersion. The small number of potential beneficiaries and the objectivity of the requirements make competitive bidding unnecessary, allowing the aid to arrive more quickly.

The call for applications is framed within the competencies of Article 36 of Law 7/1985, Regulating the Bases of the Local Regime, and Law 6/2006, on Pharmacy of Extremadura, charged to budget item 04.2314.47901 of the Provincial Council’s Budget for 2026.

Impact

The measure reinforces the role of the rural pharmacy as a basic establishment of a social and sanitary nature, key to population retention and the care of the elderly, chronic patients, and dependents. With this call, the Provincial Council commits to maintaining an essential service which, if it were to disappear, would aggravate the loss of population in the rural areas of Cáceres.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Cáceres, no. 162, August 25, 2026, Section I - Local Administration, page 19679 (official reference: BOP-2026-4004) and page 19730 (official reference: BOP-2026-4019).