- In a report by Iñaki Iriondo in the Naiz newspaper, he explained how the Basque Government advisors usually present projects that have often been subcontracted. In the words of Iriondo, "with a screening that is not very narrow," he has found about 30: draft laws, general plans, government strategies... have been paid by government departments to conduct these consultations to companies, lawyers and university professors. And sometimes those reports paid with public money are later presented as proposals by the political parties.
The journalist Iñaki Iriondo has published in the Naiz medium eleven outsourced cases by the Basque Government to draw up laws or strategic plans. One of the most expensive contracts to which it refers is the €211,750, granted to the Barcelona THR, in exchange for evaluating the 2020 tourism plan strategy and drawing up a strategic vision for the next four years.
General Security Plan by LKS
The Vice-President of the Government, Josu Erkoreka, presented the CAV General Security Plan on 28 April. This has been created by the consultant LKS Next and has been hired by the Gara medium. According to Iriondo, "the first petition he made in July 2019 [the Basque Government to LKS] was 205,700 euros, and on March 22, 2021, another 64,130 euros was added to the computer tool that facilitates the monitoring of this plan". According to the contract signed by Gara, one of its objectives is to "make a strategic reflection" on security in the CAV, "the key areas that must be enhanced in order to identify them". According to Gara, the Department of Security has written that it is not in a position to do so and has justified the need for outsourcing.
Another contract awarded to LKS Coop. per amount of EUR 50,995 for the elaboration of the Strategic Road Safety Plan 2021-2025 for the Traffic Directorate.
RGI and employment plans
Examples received by Iriondo include:
In 2014, the Department of Public Administration and Justice directly requested, without concurrence, the draft Municipal Law of the CAV to the Catalan company Estudi Consultoria Sector Public, S.L., for an amount of 21,659 euros.
In 2017, the technical-legal attention to the drafting of the Law for the RGI was subcontracted to the company PricewaterhouseCoopers Tax & Legal SL for 21,779 euros. Iriondo recalled that at the time Podemos denounced this hiring and that "once the government paid for the work, it did not present the bill: The text was registered by the PNV and the PSE as a proposal for a law, with the aim of saving procedures and documentation".
Idoia Mendia presented in April the Basque Employment Strategy, which drives the ILP. In July 2020, the Basque Government outsourced to the Temporary Union of Employment-Euskadi Enterprises 2030 the creation of content and basic documents for this strategy, as well as "the drafting, design and layout of the final contents of the Basque Employment Strategy that achieves consensus". It cost him EUR 55,000. Iriondo pointed out that this is not the first time that the employment strategy has been outsourced: The payment for the period 2015-2020 has been requested from S&F SL for an amount of EUR 66,550.
The Department of Health hired the company PKF Attest ITC, S.L., for an amount of 71,390 euros, in order to provide the necessary information for the elaboration of the Basque Public Health Bill.
Department of the Environment
Iriondo points out that the Department of the Environment of Iñaki Arriola was the one that most attended the private initiative for its legislative functions. In Naiz's article he mentions that for the preliminary draft of the Climate Change Law, the company Ekoiureplus SLL was granted a contract of 18,090 euros and that the same project was requested from a professor from the Public University of Navarra for an amount of 21,175 euros.
Iriondo also recalled that the Basque Government commissioned a professor from the University of Opus in Pamplona "the drafting of the preliminary draft of the Environmental Intervention Act of the Basque Country", which cost 17,000 euros.
Iñaki Arriola awarded Itsas-Adar Elkartea, S.L. "Drafting a new draft of the draft Law on the Conservation of the Natural Heritage of the Basque Country" for a price of 17,848 euros.
The preliminary draft Law on the Environment was requested from a professor of the UPV/EHU for 7,744 euros.
Advisor to clubs and sports professionals, now against the Basque Government for the Basque Government
As stated in Naiz’s article, in 2018 the company Landaberea & Abogados was asked to manage the amendments to the Law on the Professions of Physical Activity and Sport for an amount of 17,787 euros. In 2020, they were asked to rate technical reports under the law for EUR 7,260. "Following these reports paid by the Culture Department of Bingen Zupiria in the last legislature, the project is currently registered as a proposed law of the PNV and the PSE in the Gasteiz Parliament", said Iriondo, who added that this Sports Law Expert Office is very focused on consulting clubs and professionals, sometimes in contrarian procedures.
Another of the subcontracted works by the Department of Culture was the elaboration of the draft Law on the Archives of the Basque Country in 2017: The central government paid the Carlos III University of Madrid a total of 21,175 euros for this concept.
In November 2019, the Basque Data Protection Agency hired Broseta Abogados, S.L.P. with EUR 54,450 for the elaboration of a possible preliminary draft or proposal for a Basque Law for the Protection of Personal Data.
In 2019, Emakunde paid 5,203 euros to a couple of lawyers and attorneys for the drafting of the "Draft Bill for the Equality of Women and Men". In October of the same year it was awarded to Ibain Consulacion, S.L. aid for the implementation of the same project amounting to EUR 9,075.