Martín Lorenzo, new general director of the Center for Bullfighting Affairs

The Governing Council of the Community of Madrid has appointed Miguel Ángel Martín Lorenzo as director general of the Center for Bullfighting Affairs, a body that now holds the rank of general directorate within the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture, and Interior. The appointment is formalized through Decree 81/2026, of September 23, published in the Official Gazette of the Community of Madrid (BOCM) no. 228, of September 24, 2026, in section I.B) Authorities and Personnel. The decree bears the signature of Minister Carlos Novillo Piris and President Isabel Díaz Ayuso.

The text recalls that Martín Lorenzo already held the position of Managing Director of the Center for Bullfighting Affairs, a post to which he was appointed by Decree 4/2025, of February 5, of the Governing Council, in accordance with Decree 226/1995, of August 17, and Law 1/1984, of January 19, regulating the Institutional Administration of the Community of Madrid. The change in designation and rank responds to a legal mandate: the third additional provision of Law 5/2025, of December 23, on the Treasury of the Community of Madrid, required that, within one year of its entry into force, the management body without legal personality, the Center for Bullfighting Affairs, be integrated into the organic structure of its assigned ministry with the rank of general directorate.

From manager to director general

The appointment is supported by the previous reorganization of the ministry. Through Decree 79/2026, of September 23, of the Governing Council, Decree 235/2023, of September 6, which establishes the organic structure of the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture, and Interior, was modified, incorporating the General Directorate of the Center for Bullfighting Affairs into its article 2 and repealing Decree 226/1995, of August 17.

The regulation invokes articles 21.m), 31.c), and 45 of Law 1/1983, of December 13, on the Government and Administration of the Community of Madrid, and is approved upon the proposal of the relevant minister, following deliberation by the Governing Council at its meeting on September 23, 2026.

Competencies of the new body

The structural decree adds a new article 19 detailing the functions of the General Directorate of the Center for Bullfighting Affairs, under the direct dependency of the head of the ministry. These include:

• The operation of the Las Ventas bullring, with surveillance, coordination, and control by the successful bidders of the arena.
• The operation of the facilities at the Venta del Batán estate.
• The promotion of the bullfighting festival, with attention to new generations of bullfighters, through the José Cubero «Yiyo» bullfighting school.
• The defense of the bullfighting festival, its purity, and permanence, in collaboration with administrations, sector associations, and bullfighting clubs (peñas).
• The organization of cultural, educational, and promotional activities, bullfights, novilladas, festivals, practical classes, and public tentaderos.
• The call for and granting of subsidies, whether direct or through competitive bidding.
• The management of the Las Ventas Bullfighting Museum and the documentary funds of the José María de Cossío Library.
• The development of activities related to fighting cattle ranches and the issuance of reports on bullfighting matters or popular festivals.

Continuity and calendar

Until the regulation creating the Council for Bullfighting Affairs of the Community of Madrid is approved, the Board of Directors of the Center for Bullfighting Affairs will continue to exercise its functions under the terms of the fourth, fifth, and sixth sections of Decree 226/1995, which remain in force. Organic, budgetary, and accounting adaptations resulting from the change must be completed by January 1, 2027, at the latest.

Decree 79/2026 entered into force on the day of its publication in the BOCM, while the appointment is effective from the approval of the Governing Council on September 23, 2026.

The appointment consolidates into a general directorate rank an area that directly manages the Las Ventas arena, the Bullfighting Museum, the José Cubero «Yiyo» school, and subsidies for the sector; therefore, it affects the internal organization of the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture, and Interior and the relationship with the companies and entities operating in the Madrid arena and in fighting cattle ranches.

Source: Official Gazette of the Community of Madrid, no. 228, of September 24, 2026, section I.B) Authorities and Personnel, p. 80 (official reference: BOCM-20260924-10).