Toledo, 30 September 2026 — The Mesa del Tercer Sector de Castilla-La Mancha held its second congress in Toledo. The focus was on calls to strengthen the structures of the third sector and secure lasting formal dialogue with the public administration.
The president of the Mesa, José Antonio Romero, described the third sector as “a somewhat delicate flower” that needed strengthening in the face of the political climate. He pointed to the Ley del Tercer Sector Social de Castilla-La Mancha in force since 2020 as a key basis for participation and cooperation with civil society organisations. The civil dialogue enshrined in it was a “fundamental” tool that needed to be preserved and developed to ensure participation and coordination.
The event recognised several institutions for their contribution to social work and to raising the sector’s profile: awards went to the national Plataforma del Tercer Sector, the president of the regional government Emiliano García-Page, the public broadcaster Castilla-La Mancha Media (CMM), and the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM). According to the organisers, the awards were intended to reaffirm cooperation between the administration, civil society, the media and academia.
Participants stressed that legal frameworks alone were not enough. They called for reliable, multi-year funding commitments, stronger networks in municipalities and broader public outreach. Association representatives cited as an example the need to raise awareness of the option to earmark tax returns for social causes, helping to fund projects for disadvantaged groups. They also emphasised the need to improve data and programme impact measurement so that funding could be targeted more effectively.
The organisers said the congress could help intensify formal dialogue with the regional administration, including regular working meetings and clearly defined responsibilities. They also proposed new collaborative projects with media and universities, for example on social innovation or volunteering. No specific new funding packages or agreements were presented in detail on the day of the conference; however, the Mesa announced that it would use existing civil dialogue forums to negotiate outstanding issues with the government of Castilla-La Mancha.
Romero coupled his warning with an appeal for unity: political shifts must not undermine the welfare state’s mission. The third sector needs predictability so that services for particularly vulnerable groups remain reliably available in towns and rural areas.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).