Urkullu urges activating regional governments to distribute European funds

This Monday, Lehendakari Íñigo Urkullu took advantage of his intervention before the King and the businessmen gathered in Bilbao by the Family Business Institute to demand more prominence for the autonomous communities in the management of the Next Generation European funds.

As he recalled, EU countries face, thanks to these resources, a historic opportunity to advance the ecological, digital and social transitions.

But so far the funds are arriving in dribs and drabs to companies: Of the 24.5 billion euros in subsidies for Pertes, the Spanish Government has only distributed 6,350 in 3 years, barely 26% of the total. And the deadline to use them expires in 2026.

Hence the need to "activate once and for all" regional governments as leading actors to channel and distribute European funds to companies, the third sector, technology centers and universities.

"I raise the urgency of shaping the regional Perte, in order to successfully use the European funds aimed at the productive fabric; otherwise there is a risk of missing this opportunity for the future," Urkullu warned.

During his speech, the Lehendakari recognized the contribution of businessmen to the economy, specifically the Basque economy. "Euskadi needs people who undertake, invest and take risks; no country can progress without that contribution, that drive and that determination," he indicated.