The Council of Ministers of Spain approved this Friday the minimum income for citizens in extreme poverty. The Provincial Council of Bizkaia will allocate EUR 850,000 of aid to families, guaranteeing a minimum of EUR 461. Its objective is to assist 80 per cent of families in extreme poverty and 90 per cent of single-parent families in vulnerable situations.

In Hego Euskal Herria, the Income Guarantee Income (RGI) and the Rent of Navarra will become a complement to that minimum income. The Basque Government and the Government of Navarre will be responsible for managing the aid through Social Security.

Compatible with Hego Euskal Herria rentals

Income from Spain will be compatible with the minimum income already existing in the CAV and Navarra. From now on, the Minimum Social Security Income will be supplemented by the Guaranteed Income and the RGI of Navarra. Complements, because the minimum income approved by the Spanish Government is lower, as the cost of living in Spain is not as high as in Euskal Herria.

Approval of the minimum vital income by the Spanish Government will not affect the recipients of the income guarantee or those who will be able to access it in the future, as explained by the Basque Government’s Minister for Employment and Social Policies, Beatriz Artolazabal. Citizens who do not have RGI income and who qualify for minimum income must go to Lanbide from 15 June to apply for assistance.

Artolazabal explained on Wednesday that it was originally intended to reconcile aid in a different way, as the Spanish Government intended to supplement regional incomes. After the change of approach, much of the basic income of the Basque Government and the Government of Navarre is taken over by the Spanish Government.