March 3, 2021.- The Minister of Territorial Policy and Public Function, Miquel Iceta, has highlighted, after meeting with the Councilor for Public Governance and Self-Government of the Basque Country, Olatz Garamendi, that the way to advance self-government is "dialogue, negotiation and the pact".

Iceta stressed that the meeting was “fruitful” and took place in a “very cordial and cooperative” atmosphere.

It is the first meeting held by the minister with an autonomous community since his arrival at the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Public Service. Protocolarily, the Basque Country is the first autonomous community to approve its Statute of Autonomy and with transfers still pending. As he has explained, he will meet with the rest of the autonomous communities in the coming weeks.

Iceta has assessed that the pending transfers to the Basque Country are progressing at a “good pace”. As has been said, in April, the joint transfer commission will meet to specify the functions and services to be transferred, among which the competences relating to penitentiary institutions stand out.

“We have not changed the forecast of the schedule agreed between the two administrations,” said the minister, although as the transfers take place the schedule will be updated.

The minister and the councilor have also announced upcoming meetings at the technical level, on the initiative of the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, José Luis Escrivá, to prepare for the transfer of the management of the Minimum Vital Income.

Cooperation and dialogue with CCAAs regional

Miquel Iceta has stressed that this Government works for cooperation and permanent dialogue with the autonomous communities. The result of this collaboration in recent days has been “eleven agreements reached that have avoided so many other resources of unconstitutionality.”

The negotiation is the first, “this Government and this Ministry what they are looking for is the agreement with all the autonomous communities”, and finally, “as happens in the federal states, if there is no agreement it is the Constitutional Court that adopts a decision”.

The Basque Councillor for Public Governance and Self-Government, Olatz Garamendi, for her part, reiterated the willingness to dialogue between the two administrations and thanked the understanding with the Government of Spain to promote the transfers of pending competences. He also expressed his wish that the next meeting with the minister be held in the Basque Country.

Likewise, both the minister and the councilor have expressed their willingness to collaborate in solving the problem of the high temporality experienced by public administrations, specifically the Basque one, either by reforming the Basic Statute of the Public Employee or by seeking other solutions to the current situation.