The PNV has put on the table a package of measures to make energy cheaper, which includes reducing the electricity tax to 0.5%, maintaining the social bonuses "to protect those who need it most", speeding up investment in electric grids, enabling new connections and optimizing the use of the capacity already installed "because, behind every new electrical connection, there is investment".
These initiatives are part of the electoral program with which the jeltzale party will stand in the general elections of 29 November. The document was released this Monday afternoon in Bilbao, at an event led by the number one to the Congress for Gipuzkoa, Maribel Vaquero, who was accompanied by the heads of the list for Bizkaia and Álava, Idoia Sagastizabal and Gorja Urtaran.
The main lines on economic matters were laid out by Sagastizabal, who emphasized the "strategic" nature of energy for the future of Euskadi, both because of its weight in the competitiveness of the Basque industry and because of its impact on the overall economy.
"Having enough electrical connections is fundamental for the development of our industry, our territory and also for the construction of new homes. That is why, we propose an energy policy tailored to the needs of Euskadi," the candidate stressed.
Vaquero explained that the electoral program includes specific proposals to safeguard Basque interests in areas in which "fundamental decisions are still being made in Madrid, on wages, pensions, the electricity bill, energy, the price of the butane cylinder, some taxes, or the capacity of our institutions to invest and improve public services".
In the labor and pensions chapter, the PNV backs raising wages through collective bargaining and social dialogue. In this context, it calls for that, "within the framework of a new political status, Euskadi can establish its own minimum wage, higher than the state one and adapted to our cost of living".
It also proposes that the agreed wage increases do not endanger the continued provision of outsourced public services, for which it proposes allowing the review of the prices of public contracts.
As for the pension system, the jeltzale training maintains its defense of a public model that safeguards purchasing power, strengthens minimum and non-contributory pensions, eliminates the "unfair" penalties for those who have paid into the system for more than forty years, reduces the gender gap, and completes the transfer provided for in the Statute of Gernika.
Sagastizabal has insisted that sustaining the welfare state requires "strong, a competitive industry, and a business fabric capable of creating wealth and quality employment", and therefore calls for state aid for innovation to be "better" aligned with the needs of Basque companies. It also demands that the State "fulfill its commitments to the Basque companies in which it participates or that receive public support, all in order to preserve the economy".
In relation to the productive fabric, it has emphasized: "We want to support our cooperative SMEs, shops and self-employed workers, reducing bureaucracy, facilitating financing and improving their protection when things also go wrong— for example, by facilitating access to the benefit for involuntary cessation of their activity or business. Starting a business involves taking risks, but it should not mean being left without protection".
Along with economic policies, the candidate has stressed the importance of having modern and operational infrastructures. It cited "The Y Basca, commuter trains, ports, airports and the logistical connections. We are talking about connecting Euskadi, facilitating the transport of people and goods, and creating opportunities for the competitiveness of Euskadi".
In this regard, it has demanded of the central Government that it carry out the committed and pending investments. It has also defended "moving toward greater capacity for management from Euskadi in strategic infrastructures such as the ports of Bilbao and Pasaia; it also calls for aid for the renewal of electric vehicles and transport fleets with fewer emissions".
Measures for the primary sector and more institutional capacity
In the agricultural-livestock and fishing sector, Sagastizabal has argued for guaranteeing fair prices for farm and sea products, and for adapting European policies to the specific reality of Euskadi. In fishing matters, he has called for “a much fairer distribution of the quotas, the modernization of the fleet, and better conditions for the arranzales”. “All of this must be done in a way that is compatible with the protection of our natural environment, our mountains, our rivers, and our coast,” he said.
In order to carry out all these transformations, the candidate emphasized that it is essential for Basque institutions to have a greater margin for action and investment. For this reason, the PNV proposes that town councils, provincial councils and the Basque Government be able to use their surpluses to reinforce education, health care, public transport, housing, and the rest of the services that citizens receive. “To do this, it is necessary to modify the state rules that today limit that use,” he concluded.