Government bodies have reached an agreement to transfer funds and unemployment benefits between the national administration and the Basque Government.
The Basque Country has agreed to take over the management of a significant portion of the Social Security Administration Block in a historic move, according to a proclamation made this Wednesday. The agreement, reached between the Lehendakari, Imanol Pradales, and the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, involves the transfer of 30 offices of the State Public Employment Service (SEPE).
The transfer extends beyond the management of unemployment benefits and subsidies, as previously assumed. The Basque Government will now also manage other passive employment policies corresponding to the Social Security Administration Block. This includes the administration of four non-contributory benefits - three family benefits and the special subsidy for birth -, as well as the management of the economic benefits of the school insurance.
The agreement, to be materialized in a Mixed Transfer Commission, is set to be finalized before the end of this year 2025. The Vice Counselor for Governance, Digital Administration, and Self-Government of the Basque Government, María Ubarretxena, and the Secretary of State for Work, Joaquín Rey, reached this accord.
The block of the transfer of Social Security Administration was not completed earlier due to unresolved issues regarding the unemployment benefit and the subsidy once unemployment benefits have been exhausted. However, with this latest agreement, these obstacles have been overcome.
The transfer of 30 SEPE offices was not mentioned in earlier bullet points. The Autonomous Administration will manage an annual amount of 822 million euros as a result of the transfer, and it is estimated that a total of 51,000 people will benefit from the transfer of Social Security Administration.
Pradales demanded "exemplarity" from Sánchez, stating, "The impetus of the Basque Country cannot be subordinated to the entanglements of the State." A proposal to complete the committed transfer calendar will be delivered to the central government in the first days of October.
This issue was finally unblocked in the meeting of this Wednesday, marking a significant step forward in the devolution of powers to the Basque Country. The agreement completes the first block of the transfer of Social Security Administration, paving the way for further transfers in the future.
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