The Governing Council approves the Basque Country 2026 Budget totalling 16,378 million euros

The Governing Council, meeting today, has approved the Basque Country 2026 Budget for the financial year, amounting to €16,378 million, a 4.1% increase compared with the previous year. According to the Minister for the Treasury and Finance, Noël d’Anjou, “this budget combines realism and ambition, with a vision for both the present and the future. It focuses on improving people’s lives today, while continuing to invest in the Basque Country of tomorrow.”

Among the most significant allocations are those for Health (€5,327 million) and Education (€3,346 million), which together account for 53% of the total, thereby consolidating the strengthening of essential public services. Housing (€482 million) and Security (€849 million) are the areas showing the highest growth rates (6.8% and 6.4%, respectively), reflecting the Government’s focus on addressing residents’ real concerns. Also noteworthy is the Euskadi Eraldatuz 2030 project, the Transformational Investment Plan that serves as the roadmap of the Basque Financial Alliance, with a total investment of €935 million.

Promoting Dual Vocational Training and Workplace Learning

The Governing Council has also given the green light to two orders aimed at promoting Apprenticeships and Vocational Education and Training. The first budget allocation amounts to €750,000 for the 2025–2026 academic year. As explained by the Basque Government Spokesperson, Maria Ubarretxena, “through this call for grants, the aim is for students to undertake their studies in an alternating format, combining teaching and learning processes within companies, with the objective of promoting higher professional qualification and specialisation.”

The second allocation, totalling €850,000, will fund company placements for Apprenticeship enrollees. This corresponds to the call for grants supporting company placements for Apprentices enrolled in the Vocational Education and Training (LP, according to its initials in Basque standing for Lantokiko Prestakuntza) module. The placements will take place between September and March of the current academic year.

Strengthening the Basque Country’s International Presence through Basque Pelota

Another item approved by the Governing Council concerns two direct subsidies, totalling €650,000, to strengthen the Basque Country’s international projection through Basque Pelota, within the framework of the Basque Government’s internationalisation strategy, Euskadi Globala.

On the one hand, a direct subsidy of €350,000 will be awarded to the Euskadiko Pilota Federakundea [Basque Pelota Federation] of the Basque Country to cover the costs arising from the participation of the Euskal Selekzioa in international championships during 2025. On the other hand, the Governing Council has approved a grant of €300,000 to the Euskal Pilota Nazioarteko Txapelketen Antolatzaileak Elkartea (AEPNTAE), the organising body of the Basque Pilota Nations League – 36-Metre Event, which will be held at the Miribilla Fronton in Bilbao next November.

Grant of More Than €66,000 to the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum Foundation

The Governing Council has also approved a direct grant of €66,667 to the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum Foundation for the acquisition of the painting Vista de Bilbao (anonymous, c. 1696–1706).

“This funding forms part of the Basque Government’s commitment to the conservation, research and dissemination of the artistic and historical heritage of the Basque Country, and complements the joint efforts of the three founding institutions of the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum Foundation, the Bizkaia Local Authority, Bilbao City Council and the Basque Government itself, to strengthen its collection and reinforce its role as one of the country’s leading cultural institutions,” explained Ubarretxena.

Artistic Co-creation Between Circus Artists and Residents of Rural Araba

The final cultural measure approved today by the Governing Council is a direct subsidy of €45,000 to the organisation Garaion Naturartea for the implementation of the “Hara!” project, an artistic co-creation initiative bringing together circus artists and residents of rural Araba.

Through this support, the Basque Government reaffirms its commitment to bringing culture closer to society, recognising the work of artists, and strengthening the cultural fabric of rural areas.

New Collaboration Agreement Between Eustat and the Spanish National Statistics Institute

The final item approved is the new collaboration agreement between Eustat, the Basque Statistics Institute and the National Statistics Institute (INE) for the compilation of statistics on the Natural Change in Population and Cause-specific Mortality in the Basque Country. This agreement responds to the need to update statistical procedures in line with technological advances, thereby continuing the cooperation initiated in 1996 between the two institutions.

“The agreement establishes coordination between the Basque Country and the State in the collection and processing of data on births, marriages and deaths, ensuring the coverage, quality and timeliness of information drawn from civil and health registries,” explained Minister Ubarretxena.