The Bizkaia Provincial Council has ratified three collaboration agreements to support the territory's commerce, with a total budget of €440,000. These grants will be channeled through direct nominative subsidies and will be awarded to the associations Cecobi, Bizkaidendak, and BilbaoDendak, as they are reference organizations that represent, dynamize, and support local commerce in Bizkaia.

The provincial institution has stated that the objectives of these agreements are to boost the sector's competitiveness, strengthen professionalization, support digital transformation, and contribute to dynamizing urban and proximity commerce. The Bizkaia Provincial Council considers commerce to be "a dynamic and strong sector of great social and economic interest" for the territory, as it plays an "essential function" in the life of municipalities and regions, "generating economic activity, employment, cohesion, and closeness, and contributing to keeping streets and urban environments alive."

Specifically, Cecobi, the Confederation of Businessmen of Commerce of Bizkaia, will receive €250,000 to develop commercial activation initiatives, carry out awareness and dissemination actions on equality in commerce, provide group training and personalized advice to establishments, and organize cycles and workshops for the intelligent digital transformation of commerce, within the 'Merkataritza Irekia Bizkaia' initiative.

For its part, Bizkaidendak, the Federation of Associations of Merchants, Hoteliers, and Service Companies of Bizkaia, will have €140,000 to offer comprehensive support to commerce and merchant associations. This support will include more traditional content, such as commercial management techniques demanded by commerce itself, as well as novel content related to the application of artificial intelligence in businesses and customer relations, with personalized mentoring and the dissemination of best practices from innovative establishments in the regions.

The third agreement has been signed with the entity BilbaoDendak, which will receive €50,000 for its professionalization plan. This plan will promote continuous training and updating actions for the sector, with a practical and results-oriented approach, to ensure more competitive, resilient, and future-ready commerce. Additionally, actions will be carried out to help renew the image of commerce and campaigns to raise public awareness in favor of conscious consumption.

These three lines of aid are part of the Bizkaia Provincial Council's commitment to a balanced and cohesive territory. The Council emphasizes that "through these agreements, Bizkaia reinforces its commitment to more competitive, professionalized, digital proximity commerce that is better prepared to respond to new consumption habits, without losing the essential role this commerce plays in terms of social and economic cohesion."