This Tuesday, 29/12/2020, the Basque Government approved the first version of the programme Euskadi Next 21-26, for the recovery, transformation and resilience of Euskadi.
The Basque Government has drawn up the programme Euskadi Next 21-26 in collaboration with the provincial and local authorities of the three Basque regions, for submission to the Central Government for it to be included in the Government’s Plan for Recovery, Transformation and Resilience (PRTR) due to be sent to Europe to obtain Next Generation EU Funds from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).
This is the “first draft” of the Basque programme, a “live and open document”, as new projects can still be submitted until 30 April.
The document includes a total of 188 investment plans, including 16 Strategic Economic Recovery and Transformation Projects (PERTES).
Euskadi Next 21-26 hopes to receive RRF funds of up to €5.7 billion which, together with the amounts allocated to the regional budget and obtained from private investment, would mobilise over €13 billion over the next five years.
Of the €5.7 billion, €2.5 bn (44.9%) will be used to fund projects for the whole of Euskadi; €1.4 bn (24.6%) for projects in Bizkaia; €1 bn (17.6%) for those in Gipuzkoa and €736 million (12.9 %) for projects in Araba.
This distribution is in line with the investment projects put together as agreed with the provincial governments.
Altogether, the programme measures intended for ecological and energy transition make up 63% of the total, while funding for digital transition represents 21%.
The eight areas into which the Euskadi Next programme is grouped are: health and care; lifelong learning; generation of renewable energies; sustainable mobility; administration, business and value chain digitalisation and innovation; urban habitat; natural habitat and the prevention of natural disasters; and circular economy.
The health and care area includes 27 investments totalling €786.4 million for driving social services, healthcare and social care to improve the capacity to respond to challenges currently existing and/or highlighted by the health, economic and social crises caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
This area includes the project Gipuzkoa Advanced New Therapies Territory (GANTT) (€55 million); the project Osasunberri: Integrated diagnosis and therapy solution for the management of COVID-19 (€119.4 million) and future pandemics; and the project Economy of Care (€204.8 million).
The lifelong learning area is due to receive eight investments for a total of €139.5 million, aimed at developing the skills and knowledge that a person may need, both professionally and personally, in order to form part of an active, motivated and integrated society.
The generation of renewable energy covers 17 different investments for a total of €415.6 million. In this area, there has been strong support for the new hydrogen economy and offshore wind power through three strategic projects: the Basque Hydrogen Corridor-BH2C (€220.5 million); the Floating Wind Power Industrial and Technology hub (€10 million); and the Iberlizer project for the development of the hydrogen value chain (€20.1 million).
Sustainable mobility includes 20 investment projects focusing on “green transport”, for a total of €941.4 million. These include the projects Basquevolt Gigafactory (€217 million); Battery Pack Mobility (€10 million); Basque CCAM LAB (€60 million); the MUBIL Pole: a benchmark hub in Smart and Sustainable Transport (€86.5 million); and the Smart Factory project for the sustainable mobility of the future (€50.8 million).
Digitalisation and innovation covers 68 investments totalling €1.19 billion with projects such as the land-based aquaculture production park in Basordas (€20 million), the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA) (€60 million) and the project Gipuzkoa Quantum (€40 million).
The urban habitat area includes 18 investments for a total of €1.08 billion. Euskadi Next highlights the need for intervention, particularly in vulnerable neighbourhoods, and to promote the renewal of the existing available housing, with particular attention to unoccupied properties. The Integrated Urban Regeneration project for vulnerable areas of the Basque Country would receive €491.2 million.
In the area of natural habitat and the prevention of natural disasters, there are 18 investments for a total of €657.5 million to improve the quality of environmental markers and activities for the defence and respect of biodiversity. It includes a range of initiatives such as optimising the efficient management of drinking water and mains supply networks, as well as the development of technologies to increase land-based infrastructures in the case of natural disasters (€34 million).
Finally, in the area of circular economy there are 12 investment projects totalling €492.1 million with a view to seeking a “paradigm change” in ways of production and consumption, avoiding the irresponsible consumption of materials. A key project in this area is the Valuation of Industrial Land by the Basque Government for the remediation of industrial sites throughout the Basque Country by rehabilitating contaminated land, floodable land and derelict or semi-abandoned buildings.
The Basque Government believes that the Basque Country has the capacity to manage these funds and trusts that the system will be similar to the one used for the European Regional Development Fund ERDF.