HABE will multiply the funding for public municipal Basque language schools by 15 million euros

The new funding model agreed upon by HABE and Eudel will come into effect in the 2026-2027 academic year for public Basque language schools under municipal ownership, based on activity units and teaching hours provided. The model is implemented through the resolution of September 9, 2026, by Jokin Azkue Arrastoa, General Director of HABE, which was published in issue number 189 of the Boletín Oficial del País Vasco on October 2, 2026. The resolution, with reference 2026/4082, approves the regulatory bases for granting subsidies and the call for the 2026-2027 academic year, with a budget allocation of 15,154,000 euros.

The decision fulfills the seventh transitional provision of Ley 2/2016, regarding Local Entities of the Basque Country. This provision establishes that the funding of public Basque language schools under municipal ownership will be channeled through agreements between the General Administration of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country and the municipalities, and that a joint committee will analyze the funding model. In this regard, on May 25, 2026, HABE and Eudel agreed on a new funding system to establish a simpler and more homogeneous model from this academic year onwards. The bases are based on Article 16 of Decreto 179/2003 and Ley 20/2023 regarding the subsidy regime.

The activity unit will be the measure for the subsidy

The amount of the subsidy will be calculated through activity units, and the module per unit will be 81 euros for this academic year. The equivalencies for teaching modalities are as follows:

• In-person group hours: 1 hour = 1.0 activity unit.
• Tutoring hours for blended learning: 1 hour = 1.0 activity unit.
• Self-study enrollments: one 190-hour enrollment = 18.38 activity units, and shorter ones will be adjusted proportionally.

As a starting point, the activity units approved by HABE in the 2025-2026 academic year will be taken for all learning modalities.

15.1 million euros and two application periods

The call will have two application periods, and the amounts are as follows:

• Total economic allocation: 15,154,000 euros.
• First application period: 14,911,000 euros.
• Second application period: 243,000 euros, for Basque language schools that fulfill more than 103% of the activity provided for in Anexo II.
• Deadline for submitting first applications: from the day following the publication of the resolution until November 3, 2026.
• Deadline for submitting second applications: from June 24 to September 10, 2027.
• First resolution: before December 22, 2026. Second: before December 22, 2027.

Only Basque language schools that were beneficiaries in the first application may participate in the second period, and they must fulfill the group ratio.

38 Basque language schools and payment in three installments

Annex II lists 38 municipal Basque schools, each assigned activity units and a group ratio. The largest volume is held by the Barakaldo Municipal Basque School, with a total of 29,589.96 activity units; followed by the Getxo Municipal Basque School (7,954.41), the Basauri Municipal Basque School (7,566.00), and the Errenteria Municipal Basque School (7,284.92). The list includes, among others, the municipal Basque schools of Aitzol, Arrasate, Durango, Eibar, Irun, Portugalete, Santurtzi, and Zarautz.

Payment will be made in three installments upon the first request: 11% within a maximum of one month after the resolution is issued, 79% after justification by March 30, 2027, and the remaining 10% after the liquidation following the end of the academic year. Payment of the second request will be made through an independent resolution before December 22, 2027.

Monitoring, liquidation, and guarantees

In the liquidation, a Basque school with a fulfillment level between 97% and 103% will maintain the award without adjustments. HABE inspectors may conduct visits even prior to notice, and if data does not match, they will notify the general director. Beneficiaries must make HABE’s support visible with the phrase “Subvencionado por HABE” and the organization’s logo.

To accept the grant, an agreement will be signed between HABE and the local entity that owns the Basque school within ten days of the notification of the resolution. The model agreement is included in Annex VI, and it is signed by Ibone Bengoetxea Otaolea, first vice-president and minister of culture and language policy. The agreement will remain in effect until December 22, 2027.

The new financing model seeks to strengthen the economic stability of public municipal Basque schools, simplify administrative management, and adapt to the current reality. Transition measures have been foreseen for the centers affected by the changes, and the call aligns with the strategic grant plan for the 2025-2028 period, which aims to promote the Basque language acquisition of adults.

Fuente: Boletín Oficial del País Vasco, n.º 189, 2 de octubre de 2026, Otras Disposiciones, pp. 1-47 (official reference: 2026/4082).