The small print of the 2025 Basque budgets, delivered this Thursday to the Basque Parliament, shows a first approximation of the increase in the structure of the Basque Administration after Imanol Pradales formed the largest Government in democratic history in June, with sixteen portfolios compared to the twelve that Iñigo Urkullu left. The personnel annex of the accounts points to a budgetary staff of 480 senior officials and advisors, 10.85% more than the 433 freely appointed staff scheduled the previous year.
In figures, only in the General Administration this implies paying 27.4 million in payrolls compared to 22.7 with the previous structure. This salary quantification does not take into account the perimeter made up of companies and autonomous organizations, which have 156 senior and temporary positions. In any case, they are increases of between 18% and 24%, according to the official documentation itself.
In figures, Euskadi will have a budgeted workforce of 82,904 public employees compared to 80,293 in 2024. The volume of civil servants grows from 69,751 to 72,580, who will have a salary increase of 2% next year. The Administration is making calls for employment in different public services and, in addition, transfers from the State are taking place, such as Cercanías. In Prisons, the current workforce also grows by 200 positions, for example. The volume of jobs decreased from 10,109 to 9,844. Senior officials rise from 331 to 358 and advisors from 102 to 122.
Budget reports are just that, budgets. The specific definition of the structure is then carried out through decrees that are approved by counselor by counselor. At the moment, only five of the sixteen councilors have already presented these decrees. The Minister of the Treasury, Noël d’Anjou, explained to journalists that only then will there be a precise quantification of the real cost of the Executive’s increase. However, there have also been extra expenses with the incorporation of four new Lexuses, as many as new directors, and office renovations at the Lakua headquarters.
Open to pacts with EH Bildu, PP or Sumar
The delivery of the budgets to the Basque Parliament has been formalized not only by the Minister of Finance, as is tradition, but also by Pradales himself and the highest representative of the Socialists in the Government coalition, the vice president Mikel Torres. In fact, D’Anjou has been the only one who has not spoken before the media, since Pradales and Torres have appeared… although without admitting questions.
His argument is that they are social accounts – Torres has said that 72% of the investment will be for social portfolios – and with an “investor effort” to boost the economy. Pradales has indicated that a parliamentary procedure is now beginning that will allow exploring possible agreements with the opposition, although numerically the Executive has an absolute majority. The Lehendakari has only excluded Vox from these conversations and has expressly cited EH Bildu, PP and Sumar as potential partners. It has not been possible to clarify whether the PSE-EE agrees to negotiate with the right, which it is opposed in Spain.
The Lehendakari has asked the groups to make “realistic” proposals. It was a veiled reference to the initiative already presented by EH Bildu to explore a “global” agreement for the Basque Government but also for Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa. Pradales has clearly cooled that proposal and even criticized that the coalition wants new expenses worth 1.5 billion euros, which represents 10% of the total planned budget.
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