Unai Rementeria, former Deputy General of Bizkaia, was appointed President of Elkarkidetza six months after his cessation. Elkarkidetza is the entity in charge of the management of pension schemes for municipal and foreign public employees, and last October the Provincial Council of Bizkaia proposed the post of Rementeria in place of Karmelo Saiz de la Maza.

The President of Elkarkidetza is appointed for a period of four years, with the possibility of continuity. The entity manages the pension funds of municipal and foreign officials. The three foreign ministers, Eudel (association of Basque municipalities), the Bilbao and Bizkaia Water Consortium and the trade unions, are represented here.

EH Bildu asked in the General Assembly about the salary of Rementería, but received no answer. It appears that the entity’s statutes do not specify the remuneration of its members. However, ElDiario.es reports that Rementeria’s salary may be around 100,000 euros, according to calculations made.

Criticism of political parties

Political parties such as EH Bildu have pointed out that institutions such as Elkarkidetza should be run by “technical and professional directors”, not by political figures.

Eneritz Madariaga, spokesman for the General Assembly of Elkarrekin, stressed that the designation of Rementeria is “very doubtful”: “It must be taken into account that the Foral 5/2018 Standard of 21 November, of Conflict of Interest and Incompatibilities, establishes a period of two years for the provision of a service after the cessation or for private companies. Not two years have passed, and furthermore the relations between Elkarkidetza and the former MEP are clear."