The Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, has presided today, together with the Basque Councilor for Governance, Digital Administration and Self-Government, Maria Ubarretxena, the meeting of the Joint Commission of Transfers Administration of the State-Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, which has concretized the five transfers of functions and services agreed in the bilateral held between the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the lehendakari, Imanol Pradales, in matters such as Maritime Rescue, Safety and Health in Work, Unemployment or Insurance.

Torres pointed out that “today is an important day, when you reach the conclusion of a shared work. We will continue to move forward with the Basque Country, as we do with other autonomous communities. There may be differences along the way, but the important thing is that we end up with agreements.”

The first of the transfers that have taken place today, and which are part of the agreements reached in the bilateral agreement of July, corresponds to the execution of the State legislation on Maritime Rescue in the internal and territorial waters corresponding to the Basque coast. The Autonomous Community assumes the provision, direction, coordination and planning of search and rescue services, including training, levying fees and sanctioning powers. The transfer of functions and services will be effective from October 1, 2026.

It also agrees to extend the patrimonial resources attached to the services of the AGE, transferred to the autonomous community of the Basque Country by Royal Decree 2557/1985, of 18 December, on safety and health at work.

It is the transfer of the remaining surface of the building of the National Institute of Safety and Health at Work. The National Machinery Verification Center reserves the right to use for an indefinite time the necessary spaces of those currently occupied in the transferred building, in order to continue exercising its functions for the whole of the AGE.

Another agreement made at today’s meeting, with an agreement and a transfer, refers to the establishment of the Convention provided for in the Fifth Transitional Provision of the Basque Statute of Autonomy for the management of protection for unemployment of contributory and assistance level.

In this way, the community assumes the management of this benefit, although within the unitary character of the economic system of Social Security and respect for the principle of solidarity.

Likewise, for the management of unemployment protection, it has been agreed that the transfer of patrimonial and personal means is also carried out. It will enter into force on 1 January 2027.

In compliance with the bilateral agreements of July, it has also materialized, with an agreement and a transfer, that the Basque Country assumes the management of family benefits in their non-contributory form and of the grant for birth and care of minors of a non-contributory nature, within the unitary nature of the economic system of Social Security and respect for the principle of solidarity. This agreement will be effective as of January 1, 2027.

And finally, two more agreements have been certified in relation to school insurance. A first transfer includes the management of the economic benefits of the School Insurance, as well as the financing and management of the economic regime of the School Insurance, within the framework of the basic regulation established by the State, in its territorial scope. It will enter into force on January 1, 2027.

The second refers to the modification of the means attached to the management of health benefits of school insurance and transferred to the autonomous community of the Basque Country by Royal Decree 667/2020, of 14 July.