Spanish 18-year-olds to receive 400 euros for cultural activities

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Wednesday that young Spanish people who turn 18 in 2022 will receive a cultural voucher of 400 euros.

These vouchers may be used to buy books or consume any type of artistic or scenic activity.

Sanchez made this announcement in Slovenia, where he traveled to participate in the EU-Western Balkans summit. The PSOE-Podemos center-leftist coalition government will include this benefit in its draft budget for 2022, he explained.

“I want to announce to you that in the state budget that we are going to bring to Parliament next week we also have a youth cultural voucher, as France and Italy do, this is a direct aid to all those young people who turn 18," Sánchez explained.

The prime minister detailed that the money could be used to purchase books or tickets for any type of scenic artistic activity, such as theater, cinema, dance or music.

300 euros in France

Sánchez linked this benefit to the rental aid for young people that he announced the day before:

"What we want is to continue protecting young people, give them more help precisely to leave the parental home, and help the cultural industry of our country," he emphasized.

The Spanish cultural voucher will be somewhat more generous than the French one, for example.

The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, announced in spring a 'cultural check' of 300 euros for 800,000 18-year-olds. The measure was included in his economic reactivation plan. Italy has approved similar measures.