The environmental organization Greenpeace has denounced at the National Hearing both the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge of the Spanish Government and the Basque Government for failing to comply with the Coasts Law on the construction of the Guggenheim Museum in Urdaibai. They have denounced and labeled as "illegal" the reduction from 100 to 20 meters of the protection space of the marshes of Murueta, one of the locations chosen for the construction of the new museum, in violation of the Law of Coasts. Greenpeace has also stated that it would violate European legislation by understanding that the Urdaibai Marsh is a "special protection" area within the Natura 2000 Network, the only one in the Basque Country. “The Coastal Law requires the protection and recovery of the public land and sea domain, but in this case the Ministry does just the opposite.”

The project would occupy an area of 61,000 square kilometres and have two new sites, one in Gernika with the Dalia factory and the other in the Murueta shipyards, in the marshes of the municipality. Both places would be connected by a road that would pass through the “special protection” area. According to the authorities, the museum could be visited in summer by some 140,000 people, and Greenpeace has warned that “it is a very sensitive area to human trafficking and the damage it would cause to the environment is irreparable.” The organisation has added that there is a risk that the area where the new Guggenheim will be installed will sink, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The institution has accused the Provincial Council of Bizkaia of “presenting in a fractional manner a project to avoid the Strategic Environmental Assessment”.

Greenpeace spokeswoman in Hego Euskal Herria, Lorea Flores, has pointed out that they call for this project "to be stopped now", because "it must be stopped". "The local population needs a development strategy in line with the wonderful natural environment of Urdaibai. We want a culture for all, but that does not destroy nature. It is not possible to wager on projects that respond to private interests and that are paid with a public budget, that do not have the participation of the citizens and that harm them, as in this case”. He warned that the museum will attract more tourists to a region that "has exceeded its capacity" to welcome tourists in the area.

“Project included in the Government Programme”

The spokeswoman for the Basque Government, María Ubarretxena, said at the press conference on Tuesday that it is "a project in the government program". “It’s not just a museum, it’s much more; it’s a project about the new life of a valley. As we have said, we will start active listening and there will be a process. As we always say, our will be the path of collaboration, agreement and dialogue on long-term projects for the future and for this country," he added.

Last Saturday thousands of people demonstrated in Gernika to "paralyse the administrative and economic steps being taken to make the project viable" under the motto "In defense of the future of Urdaibai Stop Busturialdea". They criticized political leaders for using public money “for the benefit of a few”, as well as for “the destruction of the environment”.