Patronage and the things that make us better

The current legislation on patronage is the story of a transmission chain that, by accumulating efforts, has won small battles. The origin of the name is linked to Gaius Cilnius Maecenas, a politician and patron of artists from the time of Emperor Augustus. I don't know if his generosity will make him eternal, but it has brought him to our days as the embodiment of a sensitive man convinced of the transformative potential of culture.

Over the centuries, everything has changed, but the conviction of many that there are activities, attitudes, and disciplines that make us better as a society has not only not changed but has increased. Vocations that deserve to be recognized for their civilizing potential. Thus, today, patronage is no longer just about covering Virgil and Horace; today, patronage is research, the third sector, science, and also culture. Patronage is, in short, an expression of social commitment linked to open and liberal societies.

The legislation approved by the Congress of Deputies in 2023 is just one more step in this long chain. It is neither the final destination nor, much less, the initial one. That vote was the result of the work of many people who work in the aforementioned fields to build a better society, but also the result of many people who work to make patronage a powerful instrument. Men and women ---many women!--- who, by chipping away, have managed to open doors and win votes.

Although the reform of the Patronage Law approved in Congress in 2023 was the only legislative proposal that went ahead without coming from one of the two government parties during that legislature, its processing was not easy. It needed the commitment of many people, inside and outside the parliamentary chamber, to see the light.

With its processing, the text lost some of the ambition that a modern law should have, eager to update itself 23 years after the first major State Patronage Law (Law 49/2002 on the Tax Regime of non-profit entities and tax incentives for patronage).

The result, however, was an update, albeit modest, solid, and worked on with parliamentary groups and main actors. Proof of this is that, even though the law could not see definitive approval in the Senate due to the electoral call despite all the work done in Congress, one of Minister Urtasun's first proposals is to adopt the text and promote it from the Government. The solidity and consensus of those months of work guaranteed, at a minimum, that all the ground gained was not in vain.

Patronage is a civilizing and catalyzing element for a better life

Today we can celebrate, then, this work of everyone and of so many. There are still some issues to resolve that we would do well to remember today. First, the improvement of the law. Although the law represented an advance in many areas, an ambitious reform of the law is needed, without having to wait another 20 years.

Educating ourselves in patronage

Lastly, but no less importantly, to use the law. To make us all aware that a legislative framework is in no case the ultimate goal. This is only the tool to be able to build richer, more vibrant societies and initiatives with greater capacity for transformation.