The Basque Government has approved the agreement whereby it will distribute some RRF funds in the field of culture to the provincial councils (Governing Council 17-01-2023)

The Governing Council approved today the agreement by which it distributes to the provincial councils the funds received from the General State Administration, with respect to the revaluation of the cultural industry of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. 

The funds come from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) of the Next Generation EU programme, which aims to contribute to repairing the immediate economic and social damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan includes among its commitments the “Revaluation of the Cultural Industry”. Two of the aids envisaged in this component include the “Aid to extend and diversify the cultural offer in non-urban areas” and the aid for the “Digitisation, extension of the capacity and interoperability of archive systems of all kinds, inventories and registers of historical heritage, including audiovisual.” 

With regard to the “Aid to extend and diversify the cultural offer in non-urban areas”, the guiding document states that it may be managed by the provincial councils. In total, 391,138 euros is set to be transferred to the provincial councils of Alava (108,187 euros), Bizkaia (174,477 euros) and Gipuzkoa (108,474 euros). 

As for the “Aid for the digitisation and promotion of major cultural services”, the provincial councils of the three historical territories will receive 27,483 euros for the digitisation, expansion of capacity and interoperability of all types of archive systems, inventories and records of historical heritage, including audiovisual. It will amount to 9,161 euros for each entity. 

The transfer of these funds to the provincial councils of Alava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa was agreed at the 9 January meeting of HAKOBA, the body that brings together those responsible for culture in the Basque Government, provincial councils and city councils, and the Governing Council today approved the agreement to be signed with the provincial councils.