The Basque Government reaffirms its commitment to continue working on the prevention of violence against women with an emphasis on youth so that future generations become the generation of equality

• The Minister Nerea Melgosa has given an account of the institutional declaration approved today in the Governing Council meeting on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Gender Violence against women.

The spokesperson for the Basque Government and Minister for Culture and Language Policy, Bingen Zupiria, appeared at the usual press conference after the Governing Council meeting, together with the Minister for Planning, Housing and Transport, Iñaki Arriola, the Minister for Equality, Justice and Social Policies, Nerea Melgosa and the Minister for Health, Gotzone Sagardui.

Arriola explained that the Governing Council has given the green light this morning to the agreement whereby ADIF-Alta Velocidad entrusts the Department of Transport with the drafting of the construction project for the access corridor to the Bilbao-Abando station and the management and execution of the works of this section of the High Speed Train. “This is a very important step that I believe demonstrates our firm political will to speed up times and deadlines, as we are actively involved in the HST works that are being developed in our territory, even though we are not responsible for them. It also shows our technical capacity, backed by years of experience in different HST works carried out by the public entity Euskal Trenbide Sarea,” said the Minister. Regarding the works, he explained that the Galdakao-Basauri section, already executed by ADIF, will be linked to the centre of Bilbao by means of a 6.2 km tunnel that begins in Basauri and ends at the lower level of the future Abando station, which is part of a different project also under development.  The actions to be carried out by the Basque Government within the framework of the assignment are valued at 226.5 million Euros.

Another item, Gotzone Sagardui presented the Mental Health Strategy 2023-2028 which aims to improve the mental health of the population through comprehensive and community-based care for the mental and physical health of individuals and the support and accompaniment of families. Sagardui explained the resources on which the strategy presented is based and announced new units and the expansion of the workforce. “This summer, work began on the two new hospital units for eating disorders, the OSI Araba and OSI Barrualde, with an investment of more than half a million Euros, in addition to the increase in the number of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and nurses needed to start them up. We are also planning to create 16 new day hospital places for children and adolescents in Gipuzkoa,” the Minister explained.

The Minister, Nerea Melgosa, gave an account of the institutional declaration on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Gender Violence against women approved today in the Governing Council meeting. By means of this declaration, the Basque Government wants to show its firmest rejection of all expressions of male violence and its commitment to continue working in coordination with other institutions and society as a whole towards its elimination.  This year the government emphasized prevention, especially of sexual violence among youth and the importance of quality sex education to avoid it.  “We must prevent young people from learning to associate sex with attitudes that are violent, submissive or humiliating for women. Faced with this situation, the whole of society must act together, institutions, educators, the media, the entertainment sector, families, etc.  This government ratifies its commitment to continue working on the prevention of violence against women, looking especially to the future, to the new generations, who we want to become the generation of equality,” Melgosa said.

AGREEMENTS OF THE GOVERNING COUNCIL

As usual, the spokesperson, Bingen Zupiria, provided information on other issues discussed and approved in the Governing Council meeting.

As the spokesman explained today, the Government has authorized an agreement between the Basque Academy of Police and Emergencies and HABE, the Institute of Adult Literacy and Reeuskaldunization, to strengthen and train the officers of the Ertzaintza (police force), and also the students of the Entry Course for the Basic Scale of the Euskal Polizia, through Basque courses. HABE will be in charge of this task with an agreement that involves an allocation of 700,000 Euros for this year, which will be used for the development of materials and training that will allow further progress in the euskaldunization of the police workforce. Euskaldunization is one of the priority objectives of the Department of Security in order to respond to the growing demand for a Basque police force that interacts with society in Basque.

In addition, the Government has today approved the Decree approving the Income Guarantee Regulations, which regulates the procedures contemplated in Law 14/2022, approved by the Basque Parliament, and which establishes the technical tools to guarantee legal certainty, underpins the ease of access to the benefit, guarantees equality for all interested persons, and achieves efficiency and rigour in the management and control of the IGR. The spokesman pointed out that “many of the provisions included in the Law approved by Parliament last December have been implemented, although there were other issues that needed to be developed in order to be effective.” These include: access to the benefit for persons over 18 and under 23 years of age, the definition of situations of extreme need, the identification of the requirements to be met in order to recognize certain exceptional cohabitation units, and the new procedure for updating the amounts.

The Government has also approved the the granting of extraordinary direct aid for the beef cattle sector in the Basque Country, within the context of the aggression against Ukraine by Russia (increased production costs and higher raw material prices). It is a financial contribution of 4 million Euros aimed at owners of beef cattle farms or farms dedicated to cattle fattening.

Zupiria also announced that in today's Governing Council meeting various items of aid and subsidies in the educational field were approved. The spokesman stressed, Udalaguntza 2023, aid for the financing of expenses for the execution of works in municipally-owned buildings in which educational centres dependent on the educational administration operate. This year's call has a total amount of 10 million Euros, 2 million more than last year's call, as the aim is to respond to a greater number of applications.