This Wednesday, the Basque Government's bill for the creation of the Euneiz European University Gasteiz was approved. Debated in the Basque Parliament, in addition to the votes in favour of the PNV and the PSE, it was supported by the PP-C’s and Vox, which will attend the plenary session. The votes against EH Bildu and Elkarrekin Van-IU have not served to paralyse the procedure.

EH Parliamentarian Bildu Ikoitz Arrese reminded the PNV and PSE that “they are still in time to shield” the funding of the Basque university system. He has asked them to accept the amendments to the law before reaching the plenary. The amendment by EH Bildu aims to ensure that private university does not receive public money and that it does not take place. Arrese has argued that: “The field of education as a fundamental right cannot be a profit and profit framework for companies and, in any case, projects pursuing these purposes cannot be financed from public funds.” They have been rejected.

In private hands

Euneiz will be a private university promoted by the sports companies Baskonia-Alavés de Josean Kerejeta and the private educational centres of Girona and Tarragona. It will be based in Vitoria-Gasteiz and will offer five degrees, one double degree and two masters, both in the field of sport and health sciences and in the field of new technologies. Two of them are currently offered by the UPV/EHU and one by the private university of Deusto. To learn more about the content and intentions of Euneiz, read this article published by Ruben Sanchez in ARGIA.

Public financing

Euneiz will receive institutional funding: The Basque Government plans to allocate EUR 12.5 million from the funds of the Next Generation EU, and the City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz and the Provincial Council of Álava will contribute EUR 480,000 each.

Former rector of the UPV/EHU and professor Iñaki Goirizelaia this week offered an interview with ARGIA in which he will analyze the current situation. Among other things, Goirizelaia underlined that it is "unacceptable" to use public money to finance Euneiz. He spoke like this. “People have to know what college is, what it is and what it is not for. Go to South America. There are over a thousand universities, even in garages! Is that what we want? Do we want to create a university to make money? To catch the students who have not entered the UPV/EHU, simply? The Euneiz project is not a university, but a company of titles, which aims at economic benefit. There are the reports by Unibasq and many others: they clearly state where the shortcomings lie. And maybe it’s just the goal, but it’s unacceptable that public money goes to finance that private intention.”