The Basque Country earmarks 3.9 million euros for an aid programme aimed at families with dependent minors
The Governing Council has authorised an expenditure of 3.9 million euros for vulnerable families with dependent minors. According to the government spokeswoman, this programme will be carried out by giving out cards or vouchers that can be exchanged for food and personal hygiene products.
The grants will last for an initial period of three months and the amount will vary between 130 and 220 euros per month, depending on the number of members of the family unit. Thus, two-member households will receive 130 euros per month; three-member households 160 euros per month; four-member households 190 euros per month; and households with five or more members 220 euros per month.
This initiative is funded by the European Social Fund, 2021-2027.
Euskadi Literature Prizes
The Governing Council has agreed to allocate 150,000 euros to the Euskadi Sariak literature awards. “The goal of this award” explained Maria Ubarretxena “is to reward, on an annual basis, the quality of literary works published in the Basque Country.”
The prizes are divided into seven categories, and each is awarded a 18,000 euro prize. “Besides, the prize-winners will receive an additional 4,000 euros if the winning work is published in translation” she added.
In this edition, the award categories will be: literature in Basque; literature in Spanish; children and YA literature in Basque; literary translation in Basque; illustration of a literary work; essay in Basque, and essay in Spanish.
2.2 million awarded to reinforce the use of the Basque language in private-sector workplaces
The Governing Council has approved the allocation of 2.2 million euros to reinforce the use of Basque in the workplace in the private sector. The government spokeswoman pointed out that, with this initiative, the Basque Government will support four types of projects: 150,000 euros will go to support activities aimed at promoting the use of Basque; 200,000 euros for the diagnosis of the Basque situation and the design of Basque plans; 1,150,000 euros for activities to promote the use and presence of Basque in the workplace; and 700,000 euros for the development of strategic linguistic projects in companies with a long history of Basque promotion plans or advanced levels of management of the Basque language.
Lanbide will be awarded a budget amounting to 1007 million euros
The Council today gave the go-ahead to Lanbide's budgets totalling more than 1007 million euros.
“The approval of the budget is another step towards the transformation of Lanbide, which will cease to be an autonomous body and become a public body under private law.”
Last month, the Basque Employment Service approved its new statutes, which provided a modern and functional regulatory framework for this entity. Thus, it reinforces its capacity to contribute to the full development of the right to decent work, to the improvement of employability and to the social and territorial cohesion of the Basque Country.
8.282 public contracts in 2024
In 2024, the Basque public sector awarded a total of 8,282 contracts jointly worth 2,515 million euros. “These data” Maria Ubarretxena explained “are included in the 2024 report on the management of public sector procurement in the Basque Country, which was approved today by the Governing Council.
This document is drawn up annually by the Basque Public Procurement Advisory Board. During the past year, 297 fewer contracts were concluded in the public sector with respect 2023, with an almost similar value for money (-0.32%).
