The transfer of the economic management of Social Security is one of the big issues that the Basque Government has on its hands in the current legislature. This is one of the promises made by Pedro Sánchez in exchange for the support of the PNV in his inauguration as President of the Government and the opposition has warned that it would mean the “rupture of the single fund” and the principle of solidarity. Pradales’ cabinet is already analyzing and studying the issue, which will be addressed bilaterally in the expressly created commission and which will also have another 28 “pending transfers” on the table.
According to a written response to the regional deputy of EH Bildu, Lamia Arcas Nogales, the Basque Government has already opened a first phase of “analysis and study” to know the legal framework that affects a “proposal for decentralization of the management of the economic regime of Social Security.” It corresponds to the Directorate of Self-Government, framed within the Ministry of Governance, Digital Administration and Self-Government.
Although it is a “very initial phase”, the regional Executive does not miss the opportunity to remind Sánchez of the promises that allowed him to return to La Moncloa. Today, during the press conference after the Government Council in Vitoria, the spokesperson, María Ubarretxena, recalled “the mandate so that the 29 pending transfers can be fulfilled” after being asked about her assessment of the Statute of Guernica in light of the proximity of its 45th anniversary (October 25).
They admit that, given the «importance and complexity» of the transfer«it is logical to proceed with an internal study of the issues to be addressed before “entering into negotiations and dialogue with the State.” Conversations that await a date to be formalized in the Joint Transfer Commission, established between the central and Basque Governments, and about which Ubarretxena has avoided commenting every time she is questioned about it.
Regarding the details of this transfer, its scope has yet to be finalized. The PNV refers to the fifth additional provision of the Statute of Autonomy, which speaks of a series of “agreements” through which the Autonomous Community “will assume the management of the economic regime of Social Security, within its unitary character and respect for the principle of solidarity, according to the procedures, deadlines and commitments that, for orderly management, are contained in such agreements.”
That is, the ownership of Social Security would continue to be state-owned, as would its regulatory development. The transfer proposal, which the Basque Government expects submit before the end of 2024is valued at around 12,000 million euros, which corresponds to the annual cost of paying pensions and benefits in Vizcaya, Gipúzcoa and Alava.
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