UAGA has warned that the new law on administrative simplification could become a tool to "accelerate the implementation of certain strategic projects, reduce the guarantees of social participation, the role of local entities, and the protection of the territory" and has alerted to the risk that the incorporation of certain measures for the sector ends up serving to "whitewash and justify a law with other objectives."
Representatives of the Alava agro-livestock sector intervened this afternoon in the Industry, Energy Transition, and Sustainability Commission of the Basque Parliament, at the initiative of the parliamentary groups, in order to present the union's position regarding the Draft Law on urgent measures for the simplification and streamlining of the Administration for sustainable economic activity.
The agrarian organization has defended moving towards a model of sustainable development that integrates "energy, food, and territorial sovereignty," but has emphasized that these goals must be achieved with "transparency, social consensus, and long-term planning."
Regarding the content of the regulatory project, UAGA has pointed out as "especially concerning" the provisions that affect the declaration of public utility of certain infrastructures and the Projects of Superior Public Interest. In its view, the current wording "generates uncertainty" about which actions could be covered by these mechanisms and leaves open the possibility of "accelerating projects with insufficient public and local participation."
The union has also expressed its opposition to any change that may cut the decision-making capacity of municipalities and administrative boards, considering that these institutions are "those who best know the reality of the territory and the impacts that this type of projects can generate."
At the same time, it has positively assessed several of the provisions aimed at rural development and the agricultural sector, such as the simplification of certain inspections, measures to promote entrepreneurship in rural areas, the improvement of communication infrastructures, and specific housing policies for small municipalities.
Environmental guarantees and rural development
In the field of organic agriculture, UAGA has defended that certification remains a public competence through ENEEK and has rejected the entry of private certifications.
Nevertheless, he has emphasized that the specific measures for the rural environment and the agricultural sector have "a limited scope" within a law whose central purpose is to facilitate the implementation of projects considered strategic.
For this reason, he has requested that the articles be reviewed in order to "guarantee citizen participation, preserve the autonomy of local institutions, and ensure that any project impacting the territory has the maximum environmental and social guarantees."