Shaping Future Sovereignty with TM eLab
The “Etorkizuneko Euskal Burujabetza” (Basque Sovereignty of the Future) project, jointly promoted by the Agirre Lehendakaria Center and Telesforo Monzon eLab, aims to identify the main sovereignty challenges that the Basque Country will face in the coming years and to analyze the existing capabilities, actors, and opportunities for collaboration to address them. Focusing on areas such as energy, housing, food, the Basque language, and education, the project seeks to link the debate on sovereignty to specific challenges, fostering new connections among stakeholders and identifying opportunities for shared action and experimentation.
In this context, ALC and TMeLab held a workshop in Bilbao on October 23 with the aim of taking the project forward. Building on the discussions that began in March and July, the workshop combined a presentation of the K-Tool digital tool, a collective analysis of the mapping work carried out to date, and a discussion on how to move from challenges to opportunities for collaboration.
Among other issues, the meeting analyzed the potential of K-Tool as a tool for dynamically connecting stakeholders, initiatives, and challenges. The discussion addressed several key points: prioritizing challenges based on the jurisdictions of the different levels of government, avoiding information asymmetries, and ensuring coordination among stakeholders.
For the next phase of the process, it has been proposed to move from general discussions to experimentation using a specific prototype. The development of a pilot project at the municipal or regional level was proposed, focusing on two or three areas (including housing, health, education, or sports, with the Basque language as a cross-cutting theme). The goal is not only to analyze the situation but also to connect existing capabilities, identify gaps, and test new collaborations in practice; thus, efforts will focus on both short-term learning and strategic experimentation over the next two or three years, avoiding duplication and fragmentation among stakeholders.
The meeting concluded with a roadmap and resources for the next phase. Over the coming months, an operational team will be established to define the methodology, the list of challenges, and each participant’s commitments, while funding options for carrying out the pilot phase were also analyzed.