The 62nd Udalsarea Technical Committee 2030 brought together almost fifty participants at the Europa Congress Palace in Vitoria-Gasteiz. At the meeting, the network’s technical secretariat, provided by Ihobe, offered information on the Management Plan, including the activities of the last quarter and the lines of work to be promoted over the next three months in the permanent Land Group, the Climate Action group and the Green Public Procurement and Contracting group.

The permanent Land Group has held two sessions within the framework of the Basque Country Land Protection Strategy 2030 and is working on a set of best practices. Over the next few weeks, Udalsarea 2030 plans to launch specific working groups on training (25 April), subsidies (19 May) and vacant land (date to be specified).

The Climate Action steering group has held two meetings to play an active role in promoting local climate action in the Basque Country and adherence to the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. Indeed, the first meeting to assess the diagnosis was held on 18 January, followed by a second meeting on 16 March, where the draft of the Strategy was discussed.

The technical secretariat of Udalsarea 2030 has reported the Governing Council approved the “Instruction on the Incorporation of Environmental Clauses in Procurement and Contracting by the General and Institutional Administration and Other Entities in the Public Sector of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country” on 21 March.

In the field of green public procurement, Ihobe has also published a guide to facilitate compliance with the obligation to include 40% of secondary materials in the procurement of works. At the same time, the network is working on designing individualised roadmaps to implement Green Public Procurement systems in the participating entities. Two sessions have been held (24 January and 7 March), and a third is scheduled for 16 May.

The first technical committee in 2023 reported on the meeting to address the creation of Low Emission Zones in municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants held on 8 February with representatives of the city councils of Vitoria-Gasteiz, Barakaldo, Bilbao, Getxo, Donostia/San Sebastián and Irún; together with the Department of Health and the Basque Government’s Air Quality Directorate, Eudel, EVE and Ihobe, and which affects municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants. The meetings to comply with the obligation derived from the Climate Change and Energy Transition Law will continue throughout the year and will be provided legal support.

As part of the progress on the 11th programme for the evaluation and monitoring of public policies, the committee discussed the actions aimed at supporting entities to boost evaluation and monitoring processes for sustainable local actions through the e-mugi application. In this regard, the evaluation of local plans, the calculation of indicators, and the calculation of the GHG inventory and carbon footprint will continue. In addition, the IMDS system has been reviewed, a comparison has been made with the local authorities, some indicators have been adapted, and a first data upload has been carried out in e-mugi.

Similarly, the technical secretariat of Udalsarea 2030 reported on the second meeting of the Commission for the coordination and promotion of sustainable local action, consisting of the supra-municipal entities of the network, which took place on 15 March, and which Hazi will soon join, following its recent signing up to Udalsarea 2030.

Shared experiences: Donostia/San Sebastián City Council and ‘Youth Employment for Climate Change and Energy Transition in Local Administrations’

The head of the Environmental Health and Sustainability Service of Donostia/San Sebastián, Ana Juaristi, presented their circular economy projects to further the sustainability of tourism in the city. The first project was carried out in 2021 under the name “Zero Plastik Hotels and Flats” with the triple goal of reducing waste generation, improving waste management and raising awareness among users. In total, 18 establishments and 272 tourist flats took part, carrying out various advisory, training, awareness and workshop activities. Overall, the initiative has been viewed positively.

The second project launched is “Ecolabel in Hotels” and aims to promote the European Ecolabel among hotel establishments. The Donostia City Council offers support in understanding the Ecolabel criteria, preparing a work plan to schedule the activities necessary to obtain it, monitoring the implementation of the criteria, an internal audit and support with administrative procedures to apply for the Ecolabel.

“Donostia Xahuketarik gabe” is the name of the third active project. This label is awarded to establishments that comply with the following measures:

• Properly separate all waste fractions, including biowaste.
• Implement at least one measure that has a clear impact on the prevention of food waste.
• Offer free tap water to drink.
• Train staff on the prevention measures to be adopted and raise awareness.

Continuing with the experiences, an assessment was also made of Lanbide’s ‘Youth Employment for Climate Change and Energy Transition in Local Administrations’ programme, integrated within Erreminta-gida and promoted by EVE and Ihobe in collaboration with the Novia Salcedo Foundation. The programme involves incorporating around twenty young people in local councils and regional entities, trained in climate change and energy issues. It aims to strengthen local authorities’ technical teams and promote green, young, quality employment.

Two young people hired for a year within the framework of this programme, who are currently working in the Azkoitia Town Council and in the Cuadrilla of Ayala, have highlighted the value of the programme, its methodology and its purpose.

A practical guide to the municipal dimension of the 2030 School Agenda

At the meeting, the Ingurugela network of public support facilities for teachers and schools announced the forthcoming publication of the guide prepared last year on “The Municipal Dimension of the 2030 School Agenda”.

Jokin Lapaza has explained that the goal of the 2030 School Agenda programme is to integrate the culture of sustainability into educational communities, especially among students, developing the necessary skills and seeking the commitments to intervene in solutions to ecological and social problems at local and global level, and to carry out transformative actions, both individually and collectively, in schools and in the municipality.

The committee also explained the key points and results of the Local Agenda 2030 Working Group and, at the end of the meeting, the main points of the Basque Government’s decree on aid for local, sustainable development were discussed.