Urkullu and Barkos have a great responsibility, as with their powers they can improve the miserable pay of thousands of Basque pensioners. You know that Madrid, with Mariano Rajoy at the top, is not going to meet the demands of pensioners. It will only touch on the minimum pensions of widows, it will simply increase a little the insufficient amount they receive.

Both Lehendakaris know that the 200,000 inhabitants of their territories receive widows’ pensions of EUR 300 or below the poverty threshold of EUR 700. The European Social Charter provides for minimum pensions of EUR 1,080. In the case of the community governed by Urkullu, Basque deputies have raised EUR 1.2 billion more this year. And in the case of Barkos, there has also been good revenue. In this context, why is it not acceptable for the Basque institutions to supplement the state’s misery pensions, given that the European charter requires it? As Urkullu and Barkos are well aware, continuing to supplement minimum pensions with aid such as the IGR is absolutely inadequate: Far from the EUR 1,080, pensions are, however, negligible.

Pension duality is a priority issue when it comes to allocating wealth. It is essential to listen to the demands of the pensioners who are on the street, because they are all reasonable and acceptable. We only need political will.