Esteban and Andueza will convene for their inaugural formal session on Wednesday, aiming to strengthen their bond.
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Here's the scoop on the impending powwow between the Big Cheese of PNV's EBB, Aitor Esteban, and the Top Dog of PSE-EE, Eneko Andueza. They're setting up a face-to-face next Wednesday, right in the heart of Bilbao at Sabin Etxea's jeltzale headquarters. The main objective? Slathering some lubricant on their relations and syncing up their future actions.
This meeting'll be the first dance between these political heavyweights since Aitor took over from Andoni Ortuzar as the new EBB prez on March 30.
Fun fact: Aitor and Eneko's first encounter transpired at the tribute for the first legislature's parliamentarians, held at Gernika's Casa de Juntas, to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Basque Chamber. They agreed to this face-to-face during that gathering, and the date was later set.
By way of Eneko, the PSE-EE honcho has already wrapped up his around-the-Basque-Country chats with different political groups—a series he kicked off when he scored his second term in February.
Among the topics on Aitor and Eneko's agenda will be cooking up a new statutory pact, a sweet deal both parties pledged to create in their coalition government agreement in Euskadi and also swore to uphold in the investiture pact between the PNV and PSOE on November 10, 2023.
Thisdocument highlights the necessity to safeguard self-government, which they promised to achieve via updates and enhancements. They also committed to debating in good faith, reaching an accord within the Basque institutions and the Cortes Generales, followed by ratification by the Basque folks.
Now, here's where things get tricky: Areas to be discussed and negotiated will involve the recognition of the national status of Euskadi, the safeguarding of Basque competencies, and a system of guarantees based on bilateralism and foralism. The proposed deadline to complete this process is one and a half years from the commencement of the new Basque legislature.
Andoni Ortuzar, the former PNV boss, already started sounding out other Basque parties back in October 2024. Subsequent communications left the dialogue limited only to the PNV, PSE-EE, and EH Bildu.
While the parties were deep in negotiations, Aitor, being the jovial chap that he is, assured press on May 2 that the conversations between the Basque parties on the renewal of self-government are "going better than ever" and emphasized on discretion.
Theapples of discord lie in the new statutory text or "new status"—everyone assumes it'll comprise the recognition of the national status of Euskadi, but the wrinkles concern bilateralism and the right to decide, which the PSE-EE firmly opposes.
Despite the promising "window of opportunity" with the Pedro Sánchez government, Aitor warned on March 31 that although an agreement was "on track," it wasn't "around the corner" due to "difficulties" he foresaw for it to maneuver through Madrid.
In their future sit-down, Aitor and Eneko won't just be fine-tuning their government relations. They've also got their eyes set on the broader partnership between the PNV and PSE-EE, with a focus on how they'll relate with Aitor at the helm of the PNV.
Insiders from the PSE-EE indicate they've hit the nail on the head regarding specific issues and emphasized the significance of preserving a relationship between the governing parties. They believe that "mechanisms of coordination and personal contact with the new leadership of the PNV" are essential—going beyond their own leaders to foster strong working relations.
In essence, they're tightening the belt on teamwork between the two parties to ensure that every hurdle is tackled and resolved amicably.
Sources from both camps remain optimistic about the future, remembering their nine-year-old alliance that, despite their differences, they've managed to smooth over.
The upcoming meeting between Aitor Esteban and Eneko Andueza, scheduled for next Wednesday, will likely touch upon policy-and-legislation matters related to their fresh collaboration, as they aim to align their future actions and strengthen their relations. This encounter, following Aitor's new presidency, will also focus on the renegotiation of the statutory pact, as promised in their coalition and investiture agreements, which includes discussions about the recognition of the national status of Euskadi, the safeguarding of Basque competencies, and the establishment of a bilateral system of guarantees.
