The Basque Government will approve this Thursday, the 11th, in the plenary session of the Basque Parliament, the modification of the law that will strengthen control over summer camps and leisure activities. The current regulations date back to 1985, and the new measures will establish more control tools and greater sanctioning capacity, with fines of up to 600,000 euros for the most serious cases. The aim is to prevent situations similar to those that occurred in Bernedo from happening again.
For this summer, 84 applications have been managed in Bizkaia, double that of the previous year. As has happened in Araba and Gipuzkoa, rectification requests have been made for files with incomplete documentation. This year's procedure has been more exhaustive: the entity responsible for the participating minors must have previously signed a Responsible Declaration, stating compliance with all regulatory requirements.
This procedure must be completed before the relevant provincial council or the Basque Government's Department of Welfare, Youth, and Demographic Challenge if the activity takes place in more than one Historical Territory. For outdoor camps, a favorable report from the corresponding City Council will be required, along with the authorization of the landowner.
Furthermore, in leisure activities, it is mandatory to provide a negative certificate of sexual offenses for the staff and monitors involved. The Basque Government has commissioned the development of a "common application" to facilitate procedures. The forms from the provincial councils and the Basque Government will be adapted so that the data requests are identical.
The Basque Government took the lead in coordinating the reformulation of the regulatory framework for educational leisure and youth activities, together with the foral diputations and Eudel. The process of drafting the decree also involved Astialdi Sarea and Astialdi Foroa. "Continuous work allows for agile agreements with a clear objective: to give families confidence, guarantee security, and promote the associative fabric of Euskadi," stated Adrián López Saratxaga, Director of Youth and Emancipation.
“"We will have a team of inspectors who will be responsible for ensuring the well-being of minors in the upcoming camps. This will allow us to guarantee compliance with the law."
The prior inspection focuses on verifying documentation: staff qualifications, insurance, permits, monitor ratios, and action protocols. This phase is "key to detecting inconsistencies or deficiencies" before activities begin and to ensure minimum requirements are met. This administrative process includes the submission of the Responsible Declaration and the legal commitment of the organizing entities, complemented by prior controls, inspections during the activity, and subsequent control mechanisms.
“"The objective is for families to know that there is an integral model behind them, so they can be at ease."
“"Evaluation and improvement processes are always necessary, especially when we are talking about the protection of minors."
In this preventive control process, criteria such as the educational dimensions proposed, qualifications, criminal records, insurance, and protocols will be evaluated. A sanctioning regime is foreseen, which can range from warnings and requirements to administrative fines of up to 600,000 euros or the impossibility of organizing activities in future seasons in case of serious non-compliance.
