On 24 October, the Council of the Galician Government (Xunta de Galicia) appointed the Council of Europe as the new Honorary Ambassador of the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Routes for its contribution to the knowledge of Saint James Way as well as the promotion and dissemination of Jacobean values.

On the occasion of the Santiago de Compostela Declaration, the Council of Europe certified the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Routes as the first Cultural Route of the Council of Europe in 1987. “The influx of the Jacobean routes owes much to that impulse given by the Council of Europe. Its support is still necessary and for this reason the Xunta appoints him as Ambassador of the Camino” officially stated the Galician Government.

The appointment as Ambassador of the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Routes is an honorary and life-long position recognising the work of natural and legal persons in favour of culture and values of the Camino de Santiago. The Council of Europe is the first organization to receive this distinction. The first appointed was King Felipe VI of Spain, followed by Vicente del Bosque, former manager of Spanish football team, the former president of the Government Mariano Rajoy and the King emeritus Juan Carlos I.

The Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Routes, Cultural Route of the Council of Europe certified in 1987, feature a tangible heritage such as places of worship, hospitals, accommodation facilities, bridges, as well as non-tangible heritage in the form of myths, legends and songs along an endless number of branches to Santiago. Nowadays, these ancient pilgrim routes provide an intense human experience, creating a sense of fraternity amongst travellers and a strong bonding with the land.