Urtasun believes that the Guggenheim expansion will pose major environmental problems and says this is the responsibility of the CAV

The Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, believes that the expansion of the Guggenheim Museum into the Urdaibai Nature Reserve “creates serious problems” from an environmental and urban planning point of view, although he has pointed out that it is a decision that is “on the agenda stands”. “to the Basque institutions. .

For example, Urtasun spoke in the control session of the government in Congress, after the PP deputy and ‘popular’ candidate for lehendakari in the Basque elections, Javier de Andrés, questioned him about his opinion on this expansion of the museum.

In this context, the Minister of Culture recalled that the museum’s board of directors, in which the Basque management and the Basque institutions are present, have given themselves until 2025 to decide whether to proceed with the expansion.

“In the opinion of my ministry, culture and the environment should always go hand in hand. So for the sake of clarity, I’m going to tell you two things. First of all, this is a decision that is the responsibility of the Basque institutions and in that I will be very respectful, but if you ask me for my opinion, this extension indeed causes serious problems, from the point of view of environmental and urban planning,” said Urtasun.

After the reaction, De Andrés accused him of making this statement while the central executive “has already given 40 million euros” for this project.

The PP candidate for Lehendakaritza asked him if he knew that “the protection area of ​​the Urbaibai has been reduced precisely in order to carry out this project.” “It is not compatible to say that this is something for the Basque governments and to put 40 million into it, which is half the cost of the project. Do you think this is the way to deal with public money?” , he criticized him.