Bullfighting could lose its ‘cultural heritage’ status in Spain under a proposal being being pushed through the country’s parliament.

A group of 52 MPs from Sumar, Podemos, ERC, Junts, EH Bildu and the BNG has formally presented a bill seeking to repeal Law 18/2013, which recognised bullfighting as part of Spain’s cultural heritage.

The proposal follows the earlier citizens’ initiative ‘No es mi cultura’, which gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures calling for the law to be scrapped.

If approved, the legislation would remove the national legal protection that has shielded bullfighting from previous attempts by some regional and local governments to prohibit or severely restrict it.

Supporters of the proposal argue that decisions on bullfighting should instead be left to Spain’s autonomous communities, allowing each region to determine its own policy.

Animal welfare campaigner Aida Gascon, one of the leading figures behind the initiative, appeared outside Congress alongside MPs backing the proposal as they urged the governing Socialist Party (PSOE) to support the measure.

A similar proposal failed in October last year after being voted down by the Partido Popular, Vox and Union del Pueblo Navarro, while the PSOE abstained.

The latest attempt is expected to place fresh pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s party, whose position could prove decisive if the bill reaches a parliamentary vote.

The debate over bullfighting remains one of Spain’s most politically and culturally divisive issues.

Supporters regard it as a centuries-old tradition and an important part of the country’s cultural identity, while opponents argue it constitutes unnecessary animal cruelty that should no longer receive state protection.

The parties behind the bill hope it can be debated before the current parliamentary term comes to an end. If successful, it would mark one of the most significant legal changes affecting bullfighting in more than a decade.