Madrid mayor accuses Foreign Ministry of illegal occupation over Casa Árabe site

Eviction deadline passes without handover

The deadline set by Madrid City Council for Casa Árabe to vacate the municipal Escuelas Aguirre building expired on 1 September 2026 without an eviction taking place. Madrid Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida accused the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of enabling an illegal occupation and announced that the city is preparing legal actions to enforce its property rights. The neo-Mudejar property sits at the intersection of Calle Alcalá and Calle O'Donnell, facing El Retiro park. While in-person public assistance closed at the site on Tuesday, course enrollments for the upcoming academic year remained open. Student groups organized an evening rally under the slogan "Casa Árabe no se toca", arguing that the municipal deadline provided insufficient time to relocate cultural and educational programs.

In our opinion, an illegal occupation of Casa Árabe by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is taking place right now.

Consortium deadlock over governing board

The conflict centres on the operational framework of the Casa Árabe consortium, which comprises the Foreign Ministry, the Community of Madrid, Madrid City Council, the Junta de Andalucía, and Córdoba City Council. Madrid City Council notified the consortium in late June 2026 that it would reclaim the building, citing the Madrid regional government's January 2026 decision to withdraw from the entity. Almeida claimed that the Foreign Ministry is using its majority voting power to avoid convening the Governing Board, which must approve any property transfer and formalize member departures. The Foreign Ministry rejected the mayor's accusations as insidious, noting that Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares held a telephone call with Almeida on 27 July 2026 and that ministry officials conducted technical meetings with municipal representatives on 30 July 2026.

Safety concerns and structural deterioration

Municipal leaders cited physical risks to workers and visitors as a primary reason for demanding an immediate handover of the site, which has served as the institution's Madrid headquarters since 2008. Almeida pointed to safety nets installed around the facade to prevent loose fragments of cornices and roof eaves from falling onto the street or the courtyard. The mayor stated that municipal technical teams will enter the property immediately once it is evacuated to execute urgent structural consolidation and renovation works. Municipal officials stressed that the central government carries direct responsibility for any physical injuries that might occur while the building remains occupied in its current condition.

I hold the Ministry of Foreign Affairs directly responsible for any accident that may affect people's physical safety, as it is playing with the safety of people, workers, and visitors.

Audit findings and institutional future

The municipal eviction order follows a 150-page fiscal report published in December 2025 by Spain's Court of Audit regarding the consortium's accounts. The audit detailed operating deficits of 961,000 euros in 2022 and 1.08 million euros in 2023, warning that recurring losses had nearly exhausted the entity's remaining cash reserves. The report also emphasized substantial physical deterioration across the roofs, covers, and facade of the Madrid building. In response, Foreign Ministry officials and Arab ambassadors accredited in Spain reiterated the diplomatic and cultural importance of keeping Casa Árabe open across its locations in Madrid and Córdoba.