The Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque (Basque Country Agglomeration Community) presented the mid-term review of its Integrated Territorial Strategy (STI) at a monitoring committee meeting in Saint-Palais. Launched in 2022, this initiative has supported 380 projects in the region, generating €194 million in investments through coordinated European, national, regional, and departmental funding, amounting to €58 million in public funds.
Vice-President Peio Abeberry emphasized that these funds are "a means to realize projects that are useful to the territory." The STI aims to set a common course for a united, resilient, and engaged Basque Country, with one in five projects being led by a municipality.
A dedicated team of eleven agents from the Communauté Pays Basque assists project leaders (associations, municipalities, businesses, social and solidarity economy actors) from the initial stages of reflection, guiding them towards the most suitable mechanisms.
A participatory evaluation, conducted with partners and project leaders, confirms the strategy's relevance, the quality of support provided, and the leverage effect of the funding, which often amplifies project ambitions and mobilizes co-financing.
Several concrete projects were presented, illustrating the impact of the funding: the Théâtre Beheria in Bidart for local cultural offerings; the Eusko Barter project by BIHAR for cross-border economic exchanges; a study by the association EHMEB for pastoral water management; the VULCAIM project by UPPA to assess the vulnerability of Basque fisheries; the scientific program Ostreobila by GIS Littoral Basque on the microalgae Ostreopsis; the RegenAqua experiment by the Communauté Pays Basque for treated wastewater reuse; and the creation of a Maison d'assistantes maternelles (childminder's house) in Ayherre promoting early immersion in the Basque language.
