The Department of Governance, Digital Administration and Self-Government plans to allocate 10 million euros to new cybersecurity actions, with the aim of strengthening protection, detection and response against threats affecting infrastructure, communications and workplaces.
In parallel, it is promoting an advanced communications and signaling system that will allow the units of Metro Bilbao to "circulate closer to one another, with total safety".
The Minister of Governance, Digital Administration and Self-Government, María Ubarretxena, defended this Monday before the Committee on Finance of the Basque Parliament the budget project for her area for the next fiscal year, which will reach 92.4 million euros, representing an increase of 14.2% compared to the current accounts.
As she has underscored, next year will be especially conditioned by the development of the Transparency Law of Euskadi, approved by Parliament last May. In this framework, she highlighted as one of the main initiatives the launch of Gardena, the Basque Transparency Authority.
This new body, provided for in the Transparency Law, will be born as an independent entity "that will guarantee the right of access to public information, will promote transparency and will strengthen the accountability of the Basque public Administrations", she noted, specifying that the administrative procedures for its creation have already begun.
Likewise, progress will be made in drafting and approving the Decree of the Register of Interest Groups and the Decree of Participation Groups. In parallel, the first Transparency Plan of the Basque Government will be activated, which will allow "to systematize, organize and promote all actions" related to this area.
Looking ahead to 2027, one of the milestones will be to complete the implementation of the system for evaluating public policies, to which 72,000 euros will be allocated. This tool will serve to measure the effective impact of policies; strengthen evidence-based decision-making; and consolidate an Administration "more effective, more results-oriented and more capable of being accountable to the citizenry".
The Department will continue promoting open government policies through "the improvement and progressive integration" of the different institutional portals linked to transparency, participation and access to public information, for which 210,000 euros are reserved.
In collaboration with the rest of the Basque institutions, a common guide on tools and instruments for citizen participation will also be prepared, aimed at identifying, sharing and disseminating good practices and, thereby, "promoting more effective and higher-quality public participation".
Another of the priorities will be to consolidate digital transformation and the modernization of the Administration, as well as "strengthening Euskadi's strategic digital autonomy". Ubarretxena has stressed that this is "a country policy" aimed at "maintaining institutional governance over data, artificial intelligence and critical infrastructures; and building its own capabilities".
The Digital Strategy Directorate will have 88 million euros and will focus its efforts on improving digital services aimed at citizens and on strengthening the technological base that underpins the internal processes of the public sector.
Following the approval of the Basque Government's Artificial Intelligence Strategy at the end of 2025, the challenge will be to "continue incorporating and scaling AI in the Administration", through its own platform called ArgIA. For this purpose, the Department will allocate 3.4 million euros.
Among the main items are those allocated to the Basque Government Computer Society-Ejie, through its Infrastructure Service (13 million) and Platform Service (13 million) programs, which support the Administration's information systems and ensure the continuity of public services.
Another 12 million euros will be set aside for the maintenance of Platea, aimed at promoting electronic administration and modernizing corporate applications.
Likewise, 10 million euros are contemplated to strengthen cybersecurity measures, with the aim of improving protection, detection and response to possible attacks directed against infrastructure, communications and workstations.
With regard to citizen services, the Zuzenean service and omnichannel service will have 1.5 million euros, with the aim of continuing to move toward in-person, telephone, internet or instant messaging service that is "closer and more personalized".
It is also sought to facilitate access to public services through the single portal Dena and the Basque digital wallet, Neu, endowed with 1.3 million euros; streamline and simplify administrative procedures (750,000 euros); and strengthen digital training. For this, the KZgunea network will have 4.5 million euros and will reorient its training content to broaden its reach.
The investments planned to adapt the headquarters and public service spaces amount to 10.6 million euros. This chapter includes the renovation of the Arca building in Vitoria-Gasteiz (8 million), the Zuzenean headquarters in Bilbao (one million) and the reform of the access to the Plaza Bizkaia building (one million).
In the field of modernizing communications through the public company Itelazpi, 9.4 million euros are allocated to renew the DTT network, which will enable ultra-high-definition television; guarantee the service of the Tetra network, key for Government communications in emergency situations; and deploy the dedicated 5G network for the signaling and operation of Metro Bilbao.
The Vice Ministry of Public Employment will have 31.6 million euros to advance these objectives. Looking ahead to 2027, it is planned to call new structured public employment offers and competency-based selection processes, for which the budget increases by 2.1 million.
In addition, Ubarretxena has announced that 16.5 million euros will be invested over three years in a joint project with Metro Bilbao to improve its critical communications system through Itelazpi's 'Tetra' network.
Thanks to this network, the driver, the command post and security and maintenance personnel can communicate. The councilor has pointed out that "the metro of the future is going to need broadband for real-time video".
"We are talking about signaling that allows trains to circulate closer to one another with total safety," she added, recalling that Itelazpi "already had a pilot test underway" and that the tender for a dedicated 5G network is being finalized "which is going to coexist with tetra and will be under the control of the Basque institutions".
Ubarretxena has insisted that the defense of self-government constitutes a "cross-cutting" axis of the budget. In this line, she has ratified the Executive's commitment to "defend self-government and the work of the Basque Government to preserve our capacity for management, decision-making and action for the benefit of the well-being of the people who live in Euskadi".
The Vice-Ministry of Legal Regime will have 7.8 million euros to modernize and digitalize legal services, protect the Basque public sector, and guarantee Euskadi's decision-making capacity.