SPAIN: Popular Initiative for Basic Income Ends with 185,000 Signatures

by Stanislas Jourdan | Mar 16, 2015 | News

After one year of efforts, the spanish popular legislative initiative for basic income ended without enough signatures to go to parliament.

For the past year, a grassroots movement in Spain has been very actively campaigning for the introduction of a basic income by means of a national popular legislative initiative (ILP). Thanks to the efforts of a growing number of basic income supporters, approximately 185,000 signatures were collected – less than the threshold of 500,000 signatures required for the initiative to be examined by the national parliament. The exact number of signatures still have to be counted by national authorities after a validation check.

Although the number of signatures collected is considered lower than hoped – organisers said the campaign contributed significantly to spreading the idea of basic income across Spain.

The initiative “ILP Renta Basica Universal” was organised by a grassroots coalition formed at a meeting in Madrid organised during the Summer of 2013. This so-called “Movement against unemployment and precarity – for a basic income now” federated various left-leaning organisations such as political movement Baladre, Civic Front, Dignity Camps, and was later joined by many other organisations and the Green Party EQUO.

While the idea of universal basic income was plainly stated in the official text of the ILP and viewed as a civic right, in practice the campaign also aimed at urging the government to implement a means-tested guaranteed minimum income in the short run. This strategy was the result of a compromise between the various organisations leading the campaign.

The Spanish Initiative officially started on January 15th 2014, right after the end of the European Citizens Initiative which collected almost 300,000 signatures at the EU level and ended on January 14th.

The period of signature collection started two months later on March 14th, and was immediately followed by an important participation in the “Dignity Marches”, a broader anti-austerity demonstration involving more than one million people who converged on the Plaza del Sol, the Central Square of Madrid on March 22nd. This was a tactical move to spread the idea of basic income among social movements in Spain.

Unfortunately, just like the European initiative, the Spanish campaign suffered from the burdensomeness of the legal procedures required to make a successful initiative. In the case of Spain, it is extremely complicated to collect signatures electronically.

In fact, over the last 30 years, only one popular initiative have successfully reached the threshold of 500,000 signatures to be examined by the spanish parliament. It was an initiative aiming at protecting victims of the mortgage crisis.

Basic income is now at the forefront of spanish politics

For a few months now, the idea of basic income has been in the forefront of political debates in Spain, a development largely due to the series of efforts provided by BIEN’s affiliate Red Renta Basica, the European Citizens Initiative, the ILP campaign and the impressive rise of Podemos.

To celebrate their achievements, activists gathered last Saturday on the central square of Madrid. “The goal of the initiative was more about generating 500,000 conversations about the concept of basic income rather than just collecting the signatures” activist Jorge Martín Neira said.

Uncertain future for the movement

“The project does not end here, insisted the organizers, rather we are entering a new phase. We will not stop until this policy measure becomes reality. As people we need a more fair, human and inclusive society. This is how we will have more freedom as well.”

While activists look determined to follow up, it is difficult to predict the destiny of the leaderless, diverse and decentralized movement which was founded for this campaign.

Basque Country: Separatist and ecologist parties support basic income

by Andre Coelho | Feb 6, 2015 | News

In Basque Country, left-wing seperatists from Euskal Herria Bildu and the ecologist coalition Equo Euskadi keep supporting basic income.

In Spain, the basic income concept has recently been brought back into the spotlight by Podemos political party. Although meanwhile basic income has been taken out from Podemos economy orientation project (replaced by other social economic measures), other Spanish social and political organizations have cuddled the concept, particularly in the Gipuzkoa part of the Basque Country, know in Spanish as Euskadi.

In Gipuzkoa, the party EH Bildu defends the basic income implementation, on the basis of a thorough economic study conducted, among others, by Daniel Raventós, which concludes that 75% of the regional population would benefit from the measure, whilst the 10% richest citizens would finance most of it. In Euskadi, the party Equo Euskadi has also written the basic income in its electoral program, for which has also relied on Raventós study to backup its defense.

Just past week, a symposium on basic income has been organized by the municipal house of representatives in Gipuzkoa where yet again the basic income implementation simulation cited above was at the center. One of the delegates, Ander Rodríguez, which heads the social policy group in Gipuzkoa parliament, besides defending basic income as a concept and economic innovation, has suggested it could be implemented in a progressive way, though not immediately.

Despite the results presented in the referred study and the interest picked up by local politicians and parties, other parties and government representatives are still against it, accusing the basic income scheme of being utopian, unconditional (as seen from a negative perspective) and unfair for allegedly transferring money from workers to others that just choose not to work. In fact, recently approved legislation in the region actually hardens conditionality for accessing social inclusion transfers, plus limiting its validity for two years. However, at the same time, such social programs are widening the number of people covered, plus increasing spending.

More information at:

Language: Spanish

Natalia González de Uriarte, “Basic income for all citizens: reality or utopia? [La renta básica universal para todos los ciudadanos, ¿realidad o utopía?]“, eldiarionorte.es, October 2014

Language: Spanish

EHBildu, “Each Gipuzkoa inhabitant could be receiving an yearly 7.902 € basic income, covered by a single income tax [Cada Gipuzkoano podría una renta básica de 7.902 € con un tipo único de IRPF]“, Euskal Herria Bildu online magazine, February 1 2015

Language: Spanish

S. López, “The Basque government hardens the conditions to access conditional basic income, plus limiting its duration for two years [El Gobirno Vasco endurece los requisitos de la renta básica y limita su cobro a dos años]“, Noticias de Gipizkoa, November 2014 (?)

Language: Spanish

Vincent Navarro and Juan Torres López, “An economy project for the people [Un proyeto económico para la gente]“, Podemos, November 2014