The Basque Government has launched the KAIA initiative to deploy 5 climate adaptation demonstration projects, investing €27.5 million in the Basque Country

04/06/2025

The five demonstration projects will be developed on the Zarautz waterfront, the Bakio marshland, the Astegieta meander in Vitoria-Gasteiz, the Bilbao estuary and the bay of Txingudi.

To mark World Environment Day (5th June), the Governing Council meeting was held in the Añana Salt Valley, home to the future Ekoetxea Añana-Gatz Harana, which will join the network of environmental centres in the Basque Country.

On the eve of World Environment Day, which is held on 5th June each year, Basque Government councillors met at the Añana Salt Valley facilities, where the tender is about to be issued for the works that will rehabilitate an old salt warehouse as the future Ekoetxea Añana-Gatz Harana.

Within this framework, the Regional Minister for Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, Mikel Jauregi, informed the Governing Council about a pioneering initiative in terms of adapting the region to the impact of climate change, which will involve the mobilisation of €27.5 million.

This involves the deployment of 5 climate change adaptation demonstration projects on the Zarautz waterfront, the Bakio marshland, the Astegieta meander in Vitoria-Gasteiz, the Bilbao estuary and the bay of Txingudi. "To do so, we have set up an interdepartmental coordination committee called KAIA (Klima Aldaketaren InpaktuA), coordinated by the Directorate for Natural Heritage and Adaptation to Climate Change through the public company Ihobe, with the participation of the Basque Water Agency-URA, the Directorate for Territorial Planning and Urban Agenda, the Directorate for Emergency Services and Meteorology, Euskalmet, with the technical support of Azti in this phase. The aim of this round table is to incorporate the necessary public and private actors to successfully execute the demonstration projects and their replicability in other places", highlighted Councillor Jauregi during his speech.

The main function of the KAIA table is to promote the design, definition and implementation of these demonstration projects, setting up the following five projects in their initial stage:

• Zarautz, adaptation of the waterfront: with the remodelling of the Narros-Munoa area, analysis of the anti-reflective contour of the road and seawall, possible remodelling of the beach accesses in the western area and environmental improvement of the dune system, as well as monitoring of the effects of the intervention. Due Date: 2025-December 2028. Estimated budget: €4.5 million.
• Bakio, urban marshland and floodable forest: climate change adaptation project on the Estepona River. Due Date: 2025-December 2026. Estimated budget: €3.05 million.
• Resilient Txingudi: enlargement of the San Lorenzo marsh, removal of sports equipment and connection with the San Lorenzo marsh, study of alternatives in the Mendelu neighbourhood, study of the enlargement of the Jaizubia marsh, as well as monitoring the effects of the intervention. Due Date: 2025-December 2028. Estimated budget of €10.5 million.
• Astegieta, recovering nature: recovery of the artificialized meander of Astegieta, in Vitoria-Gasteiz, and reduction of flooding. Due Date: 2025-December 2028. Estimated budget: €4.1 million
• Bilbao Estuary: to generate complex governance and have more information to address the impact of climate change on the estuary and analyse the measures to be adopted in the medium and long term in conjunction with all of the stakeholders. While working on incremental adaptation to climate change in specific areas in the short term, nature-based solutions in Punta Kaiku and Punta Zorroza. Due Date: 2025 - December 2030. Estimated budget: €5.9 million.

"In addition to increasing the region’s resilience, all these projects will lead to a substantial improvement in the quality of life of the population and the biodiversity of the regenerated areas", according to the Councillor, Mikel Jauregi. The naturalisation of land and aquatic spaces will increase their CO2 absorption capacity, a key issue to achieve climate neutrality in the Basque Country by 2050 or earlier, as set out in the Energy Transition and Climate Change Act.

The Basque Country, a reference in Europe

The annual report of the Adaptation Mission, published in April 2025 by the European Union, highlights the Basque Country as a reference model in adaptation to climate change and highlights that its approach is replicable and an example for other European regions. This recognition is based on the Basque Country's ability to anticipate and manage climate risks through advanced planning, inter-institutional collaboration and the implementation of innovative solutions at local and regional levels.

This is reflected in the Activity Report of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, published in April 2025 by the European Commission through the MIP4Adapt platform, which evaluates the progress of regions and cities in order to identify success stories, share best practices and steer climate action. The report highlights the Basque Country, along with other regions, such as Tuscany (Italy), the Azores (Portugal) and the Mediterranean areas participating in projects such as CARDIMED CLIMATEFIT, for their proven progress and their capacity to transfer knowledge to other countries and regions.

"The Basque Country has been recognised for its comprehensive and proactive approach to adaptation, based on more than two decades of climate planning undertaken by the Basque Government. In order to continue advancing in this area, the success or failure of climate action will depend on the capacity to promote ambitious demonstration projects, such as those we are presenting today," pointed out Jauregi.

These demonstration projects seek to implement a series of integrated solutions for adaptation to climate change in the Basque Country, through actions that will:

• Anticipate risks and increase resilience to climate change.
• Develop public-private collaboration, involving all actors in the process.
• Demonstrate that investment in adaptation is profitable and that these projects can be replicated within the Basque Country and beyond, which is turned into a business opportunity for our business sector.

The actions in Zarautz and Bakio are partially financed by the European LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 project. Some of the actions in Txingudi are also partly financed by the European Horizon Regions4Climate project and by Next Funds. The Basque Government is now looking for funding possibilities for the remaining actions in the Zarautz, Bakio and Txingudi projects, as well as to start the Bilbao and Astegieta projects. For this reason, this week the Deputy Minister for the Environment, Josu Bilbao, and the Director of Natural Heritage and Adaptation to Climate Change, Adolfo Uriarte, will travel to Nice to hold a bilateral meeting with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to discuss the possibilities of raise funding for these five demonstration projects.

"The EIB is aware of our climate change vulnerability and risk analysis and has expressed interest in supporting the Basque Country in the implementation of our adaptation roadmap. I am convinced that the development of these projects and their systematics will serve as an example for other territories, and will help to position the Basque Country and its network of technical consultancy firms and specialised companies in other markets. We face the challenge of involving the private sector, financial institutions and insurers, as well as the public, in climate change adaptation projects. The development of these demonstration projects must be an opportunity to rise to this challenge", highlighted Jauregi.

New Ekoetxea Añana-Gatz Harana environmental centre 

The Governing Council meeting has been held today in the Añana Salt Valley, a different location to usual due to the commemoration of World Environment Day. The future Añana-Gatz Harana Ekoetxea will be located here.

The Ekoetxea Network of environmental centres in the Basque Country is currently made up of five centres: Urdaibai and Meatzaldea, in Bizkaia; Txingudi and Azpeitia, in Gipuzkoa; and the recently inaugurated centre in Añana, at the former facilities of the Water Museum in Sobrón, Alava, which will soon be completed with the Salt Valley centre. It is therefore a single Ekoetxea, Ekoetxea Añana, with two sub-sites: Ekoetxea Añana-Sobrón and Ekoetxea Añana-Gatz Harana.

The future centre located in the Salt Valley will be built on the remains of the old "Big Warehouse", rehabilitating the structure that remains standing. The building will have a basement, semi-basement, ground floor and first floor, with a total useful area of 640 m2 and a built-up area of around 728 m2.

The tender will be published at the end of June and work is expected to start in spring 2026. The estimated value of the contract for the execution of the works for the future Añana-Gatz Harana Ekoetxea is €2.7 million.

The Basque Ekoetxea network of environmental centres plays a key role in environmental awareness and education, especially among young people, and the Añana Salt Valley is a unique spot, due to its natural, cultural and landscape value, as well as the 90,000 visits it receives each year.

Nine educational centres recognised as Sustainable Schools

At the end of the Governing Council meeting, awards were presented to the schools joining the Eskola Jasangarriak-Sustainable Schools in the Basque Network in a ceremony presided over by the Basque President, Imanol Pradales along with the Regional Minister of Education, Begoña Pedrosa, and the Minister of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, Mikel Jauregi, accompanied by the Deputy Minister of the Environment, Josu Bilbao, and the Director of Natural Heritage and Adaptation to Climate Change, Adolfo Uriarte, as well as the technical team of Berritzegune, the Basque Country's support network for training and educational innovation.

On this occasion, 9 centres from the three territories were recognised for their commitment to innovation, quality and commitment to the environment:

• CEIPS La Inmaculada, Barakaldo
• IES Uribarri, Basauri
• CEIPS Assa Ikastola, Lapuebla de Labarca
• CEIPS Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, Leioa
• IES Muskiz 
• CEIPS Jakintza Ikastola, Ordizia
• CEIP Otxartaga, Ortuella
• CEIPS La Salle-San José, Zarautz
• IES Lizardi, Zarautz