La Junta de Calificación, Valoración y Exportación de Bienes del Patrimonio Histórico Español. Un análisis de su función en la gestión del patrimonio cultural

Abstract

La Junta de Calificación, Valoración y Exportación de Bienes del Patrimonio Histórico Español is a public organism, attached to the Directorate General of Fine Arts of the Ministry of Culture. Despite being an organism that intervenes almost decisively in the management of Spanish historical heritage, there is widespread ignorance of its existence. It is made up of twenty-two members, eighteen proposed by the Ministry of Culture and the remaining four by the Ministry of Finance, all of them persons of recognized influence and prestige in their fields of action (directors and deputy directors of museums, archives and state libraries, university professors, museum specialists, deputy directors general of the areas of Culture and Finance, inspectors...). These professionals are entrusted, among others, with the immeasurable task of deciding on requests for the export of cultural property received by the Ministry of Culture, or instervening in state policies for the acquisition of such property. In this paper we will set out to answer many of the questions that have not yet been resolved, or at least compiled, by the research. Firstly, as regards the background and origins of the Board, we will propose a journey through the management of historical heritage in Spain starting in the 18th century and ending with the enactment of the Ley de Patrimonio Histórico Español (1985), which reformulated this organism (whose origins date back to at least 1922). Secondly, with regard to its nature as an intervening organism in the management of the country's cultural heritage, we will outline the way in which its structure, functions and operation are regulated in the current regulations, specifically in Real Decreto 111/1986, partially developing the previous law; and with regard to its composition, we will carry out an analysis of its evolution up to 2022. Thirdly, with regard to its functions, we will use an analysis of practical cases in order to understand how, in effect, the Board carries out its work. Fourthly and finally, we will investigate the functioning of similar organisms to the Board in the Spanish Autonomous Communities and in other European countries, with the aim of presenting, finally, some proposals for improving their regulation and degree of efficiency.