The President and the Lehendakari reach ten agreements on economic development, security, traffic, and infrastructure

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, greets the Lehendakari, Imanol Pradales (Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig)

Ten agreements were reached at the meeting, including initiatives to boost Basque small and medium-sized industrial enterprises, strengthen public safety, and advance local electoral reforms and infrastructure projects. This seventh meeting between Sánchez and Pradales since the Lehendakari took office reflects their commitment to dialogue, agreement, and joint work to advance the pending transfers of powers stipulated in the Statute of Gernika.

The Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, who appeared at a press conference after the meeting, described it as "productive". Torres stressed that the third meeting of the Bilateral Commission demonstrates that "institutional dialogue works" and that cooperation between administrations "translates into concrete progress" for citizens. "A model based on agreement, institutional loyalty, and efficiency in public management is being built with all the autonomous communities," he stressed.

The Minister for Territorial Policy, who announced that there will be another meeting of the Bilateral Commission before the summer, highlighted that, since Pedro Sánchez came to power in 2018, 40 transfers of powers have been made to eleven autonomous communities (Basque Country, Catalonia, Galicia, Andalusia, Valencian Community, Castile-La Mancha, Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, Navarre, Madrid, and Castile and León).

New agreements and progress on transfers

Meeting of the Bilateral Cooperation Commission between the State Administration and the Basque Country | Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig

Among the ten agreements reached are the strengthening of funding and support for Basque small and medium-sized industrial enterprises, a new, more effective framework for financial collaboration in recreational fishing, and the strengthening of private and public security. They have also reached an agreement on the Municipal Electoral System and, in the area of infrastructure, on strategic cooperation with a bilateral airport body. This is a joint bilateral body for enhanced cooperation, which increases the Basque Government's capacity to make proposals, improves dialogue with the Government of Spain, and respects the Spanish Constitution, the Statute of Gernika, and current legislation.

Progress has also been made on transfers related to combined agricultural insurance and the expansion of powers regarding traffic and vehicle circulation. Torres explained that other issues relating to industry and energy, health and immigration were also analysed.

In addition to today's bilateral commission meeting, the Joint Commission on the Economic Agreement, composed of representatives of the General State Administration and the Basque Government, also met this week, before Easter, as agreed upon by Pedro Sánchez and Imanol Pradales at their last meeting in January.

Non official translation