The Basque parliamentarian of the PNV Joseba Díez Antxustegi has advocated for deepening self-government with the aim of achieving "greater well-being" in Euskadi and because, in his opinion, the Basques, as a people, have the "right" to govern themselves. In this regard, he has reiterated that the ultimate goal of self-government for the jeltzales is "to decide on all matters affecting the citizens of Euskadi in Euskadi".
Díez Antxustegi spoke at the round table 'The future of self-government 90 years later', part of the EHU Summer Course 'Basque Self-Government 90 years later. Tradition, renewal and European horizon'. The colloquium was also attended by EH Bildu parliamentarian Arkaitz Rodríguez, PSE-EE parliamentarian Adrián Fernández Rivas, PP parliamentarian Laura Garrido, and Sumar parliamentarian Jon Hernández.
The PNV representative stressed that both the Basque Government of 90 years ago and the current one symbolize "from plurality, from moderation, from responsibility, a refuge to face difficulties". As he pointed out, those who promoted the first Basque Executive would today contemplate "with satisfaction that there is institutional recognition of that people they represented", as well as the "advances in the national fact of that people".
Likewise, he insisted that "more self-government has been more well-being" thanks to the management of socialists and jeltzales. As proof of this, he cited that Euskadi registers "shorter waiting lists than in any other autonomous community in the State, most of them surely governed by the PP", as well as a "much higher degree of industrialization than in other autonomous communities". "We want more self-government not only because we want to have greater well-being," he added, but also because "we are a people and we have the right to govern ourselves".
On the other hand, he considered that the future of self-government "is Europe", understanding that it offers "the opportunity for stateless nations to have a place". In his opinion, "that Europe will consist of sharing sovereignties", and he reiterated that the horizon of Basque self-government involves "Euskadi being able to decide on all matters affecting the citizens of Euskadi in Euskadi".
From EH Bildu, Arkaitz Rodríguez has remarked that "a lot" has been achieved in Euskadi in these nine decades, although he has warned that the Statute of Gernika has been "systematically unfulfilled" and that "there are still powers pending transfer". In his opinion, the Spanish State has been "eroding" Basque self-government "through enabling laws, transversal titles, or an increasingly recentralizing jurisprudence or doctrine from the Constitutional Court".
In this context, he has warned that "without having decision-making capacities or political power, which we currently do not have, we are going to be much more limited in our ability to provide greater well-being" to the population. Therefore, he has argued that "we need more tools, greater decision-making capacity and political power" to achieve "greater levels of well-being".
The spokesperson for the PSE-EE, Adrián Fernández, has valued that today self-government is "stronger" than 90 years ago, as a result of the work done "by everyone". In his opinion, it constitutes "a tool" aimed at "guaranteeing greater well-being and equality", although he has warned that "having the powers in itself does not guarantee you a fairer, more social, more egalitarian policy".
Along these lines, he has pointed out that "if it is dedicated to the important things, it works, if not, it doesn't". "Having one's own self-government is not a vaccine against bad management; fortunately, the Basque coalition government is working well," he added. He stressed that "it is not about transferring for the sake of transferring, nor about accumulating powers like trophies," but rather that "all the powers available must have as their main objective to generate more well-being for the citizens."
Furthermore, he has considered that the existence in Euskadi of its own pension model or a differentiated Interprofessional Minimum Wage "would be detrimental" to workers, since sovereignty or self-government "must guarantee equality and people's living conditions."
Debate on the reform of the Statute and the State model
In the block dedicated to the "STATUTE REFORM", and asked about the ceiling of self-government for the socialists, Fernández has shown himself to be in favor of updating the Statute, but "without contradicting what appears in the Constitution". "We must be absolutely clear about this," he emphasized. In his opinion, "broad political agreement, legal certainty, and citizen ratification" are the pillars that should guide this statutory revision.
Rodríguez, for his part, has reflected that "sovereignty can be shared" but that before that it is essential "to be able to decide," something that, as he has denounced, "does not happen at present." Therefore, he has argued that the limit of self-government must be "the free and democratically expressed will of Basque society" and has proposed that the Basque people be able to "constitute themselves as a reunified sovereign state in Europe and at the service of the majorities."
"This people requires political tools, decision-making capacity, political capacity and power that it does not currently have in order to successfully and with guarantees face the colossal challenges that lie before us," the EH Bildu leader has emphasized.
From the PP, Laura Garrido has maintained that self-government does not "necessarily" imply more well-being, as this depends on whether it is managed "badly or well." In this regard, she has criticized that the Basque government of PNV and PSE-EE has not, in her opinion, made an "adequate" administration of regional powers. "Things could be done much better," she has emphasized. She has also described the possibility of a specific pension system for Euskadi as a "utopia," which in her view responds solely to "nationalist desires and teachings."
She has also denounced the existence of "secret conversations" between PNV and PSE-EE about a possible reform of the Statute, from which the PP would have been "excluded." In her opinion, "it is better for these debates to take place with lights and stenographers" and that any modification must be "subject to legality" and not be promoted solely to "satisfy the sovereignist and independence aspirations of the nationalist parties."
Finally, Jon Hernández, from Sumar, has pointed out that self-government "is not an end in itself," but rather that "it must be at the service of equality and the democratic, labor, and political rights of citizens."
In this context, he has made "a positive assessment of the progress that self-government has meant for people's quality of life," although with "a critical view of everything that self-government and the current model have not achieved in a society where profound inequality in people's quality of life persists."
The Sumar parliamentarian has stressed that it is the citizenry who must decide "what type of sovereignty and institutions they want". Furthermore, he has warned that the "can of worms" of the debate on the reform of the Statute cannot be opened without also addressing that of the state model, and has assured that his party is "willing" to face both debates.