The Basque Government invests €7.6 million in the health system’s digital switch over
The spokesperson for the Basque Government and Minister for Governance, Digital Services and Local Government, Maria Ubarretxena, has announced that the Governing Council has approved the signing of a collaboration agreement between the Basque Government, the publicly-owned company red.es, and the Ministry. This agreement’s aim is to develop smart digital services within the healthcare sector. “In this way,” explained Ubarretxena, “Osakidetza [Basque Health Services] is advancing the health services’ digital switch over through an investment of €7.6 million from European funds. This will enable the development of smart digital services within the Basque public healthcare system, with a direct impact on patients’ quality of life.”
According to the minister, digital projects already underway at Osakidetza will be implemented, including those linked to artificial intelligence, interoperability of medical imaging, and monitoring and telecare programmes, improving accessibility, personalisation and continuity of care.
€13 million to support the fishing and aquaculture sector
The Governing Council has also approved the call for grants aimed at the fishing and aquaculture industry. More than €13 million will be allocated to these grants, which seek to promote sustainable fishing, boost the blue economy, and support the recovery of aquatic biological resources, among other objectives.
Likewise, today’s Governing Council approved the terms and conditions for the call for applications for grants to obtain animal welfare certification for 2025. These grants are intended to support livestock farming entities and groups with the costs incurred in obtaining animal welfare certification.
Collaboration between the Basque Government and the Government of Navarre
Another item approved today by the Governing Council was the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Basque Government and the Government of Navarre. “This agreement will strengthen cooperation in areas such as health, industrial transformation, culture and the Basque language, and the agreement signing will take place this Friday, 10 October, in Gasteiz, at a ceremony presided over by the President of the Basque Country Imanol Pradales and President [of the Foral Community of Navarre] María Chivite,” explained Ubarretxena.
Support for low-income workers
Ubarretxena explained that a new decree has also been approved to regulate employment incentives for beneficiaries of the Income Guarantee Scheme (RGI, standing for Renta de Garantía de Ingresos) and Emergency Social Aid (AES, standing for Ayudas de Emergencia Social). “This initiative responds to the need to update a model that has been in place for more than twenty years, adapting it to the social, economic and regulatory changes experienced in the Basque Country,” he said.
“The new decree,” he continued, “maintains and extends support for low-income workers, especially in larger families and focuses incentives on the individual decision to participate in employment and on the intensity of work. It also incorporates a gender perspective, encouraging the participation of second partners in the workforce, for the most part women, and supporting single-parent families through a specific supplement for the cost of raising children.”
Additionally, at the proposal of the Department of Economy, Labour and Employment, subsidies worth almost €70,000 have been approved to promote community initiatives through the Inclusion Committees. “The new regulations allow benefits to be combined with income from work and introduce personalised bonuses to promote labour market integration and job quality,” Ubarretxena pointed out.
The Inclusion Committees, created in 2020, are local spaces for coordination between local authorities, public systems and the charity sector. There are currently 15 committees in operation: 3 in Araba, 5 in Gipuzkoa and 7 in Bizkaia. Their purpose is to strengthen collaboration between stakeholders to improve services to residents and ensure equitable access to essential resources such as income, employment, education, housing, health and community ties.
Teaching materials developed and published in the Basque language
The Governing Council today approved the order announcing grants for the development and publication of teaching materials in Basque for non-university education pathways, the Euskarazko Ikas Materialgintza programme (EIMA) call for applications. This call for applications has a budget of almost one million euros.
“Teaching materials are a fundamental element in developing education. In this regard, the EIMA call for applications aims to support high-quality teaching materials adapted to curriculum regulatory provisions,” Ubarretxena emphasised.
The call for grants includes three categories: one subsidises the costs of publishing printed school materials in Basque; the second, EIMA Digitala, finances the costs of creating digital school materials in Basque; and the third, EIMA 4, finances the printing of teaching materials in Basque.
Fight against industrial and intellectual property crimes in the Basque Country
In turn, today’s meeting approved the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Ertzaintza [Basque police force] and the Association for the Defence of Trademarks (ANDEMA, standing for Asociación para la Defensa de la Marca).
The spokesperson stated: “This agreement seeks to establish collaboration mechanisms in training and knowledge, as well as to facilitate access to relevant information in the fight against industrial and intellectual property crimes that are committed in the Basque Country.”
ANDEMA is making its own database available to Ertzaintza, which contains information on the representatives of multiple brands, to facilitate contact with them in operations involving allegedly counterfeit products.
Grant to finance UNED activities
Finally, the Governing Council has approved a €500,000 subsidy to finance the activities of the UNED’s associated centres in the Basque Country. “UNED facilitates access to university for people in diverse employment and personal situations and currently has three associated centres in the Basque Autonomous Community: Bergara, Bizkaia and Vitoria-Gasteiz,” concluded Ubarretxena.
