Euthanasia claims in the Basque Country have increased by 61% and the average length of the process has fallen to 39.4 days
According to the annual report published this Thursday, 107 applications were approved in 2025, 78 benefits were implemented and 31 people died before the completion of the process.
On Thursday, the Annual Euthanasia Report was presented, which was attended by the Deputy Minister of Health, Gontzal Tamayo, the Chairman of the Guarantee and Evaluation Committee, Julia Barroso, and Itxaso Bengoetxea, who had previously held that position.
According to the annual report published this Thursday by the Department of Health of the Basque Government, the number of applications for medical assistance to die in the ACV has increased by 61.2% in 2025. On the other hand, the average time from application to benefit has fallen to 39.4 days, below the 41 days established by law.
This report confirms the data released last February, when 120 euthanasia applications were registered in 2025 and 78 benefits were made, while 74 applications and 49 benefits were registered in 2024.
Health officials point out that the 61.2% increase in the number of applications in the last year shows that the upward trend observed since the entry into forceofOrganic Law 3/2021 has been consolidated and that "the demand for this benefit is then and higher" in the CAE.
Clinical complexity
The report states that 107 of the 120 applications were granted because they met the requirements of the law to apply for the necessary assistance to die, i.e.about 90% of the applications, the highest rate since the introduction of the euthanasia law. However, the "clinical complexity of many cases" is revealed, since 31 people died after submitting their application during the process, 21 of them files after reaching the Guarantee and Evaluation Commission.
According to Department of Health sources, a totalof 468 applications have been made since the entry into force of the Act, of which 315 have been received and analysed and 211 have been completed, while the remaining applications have not reached the Commission due to patient withdrawal or death during the process.
Profile of applicants
The euthanasia report in the Basque Country also highlights a number of important changes, including the increase in the use of the Advance Wills Document (DVA), which accounts for 20.8% of applications.
On the other hand, the average age of euthanasia applicants is 75 years, almost two thirds of whom received palliative care in advance, mainly due to chronic and incapacitating diseases (58.3 per cent), over and above serious and incurable diseases (41.7 per cent).
By territory, 22 applications were registered in Álava, 45 in Bizkaia and 53 in Gipuzkoa, with 15, 26 and 37 benefits respectively.
At the organizational level, the Euthanasia Information System of the Basque Country (EISS) was established and the Technical Euthanasia Unit was established in June 2025. These instruments make it possible to fully monitor applications and support the uniform application of the law throughout the Basque health system.
You might like
?fmt=webp-alpha&qlt=80)
The 28 people arrested for incidents in connection with an act in Vito Quiles have been released
Sixteen of them have been charged with a crime of public disorder and twelve have been charged with an attack on law enforcement officials.
Three Molotov cocktails launched at Bayonne Subprefecture
According to reports from the Prefecture of the Atlantic Pyrenees, the attack took place around 4 a.m., but there was no significant damage.
Three persons investigated in Bizkaia for pretending to be civil guards to obtain data on a victim of gender-based violence
One of those investigated had a sentimental relationship with the woman, with whom he lived in Barakaldo.
A man has been arrested in Donostia as the alleged perpetrator of a sexual assault in the Egia neighbourhood
The San Sebastian City Council Spokespersons Board has convened a rally for tomorrow at 11:45 a.m. in the gardens of Alderdi Eder.
Members of the Foral Police have joined in the pain and supported the families of the five dead officers
The San Alberto de Pamplona Tanatorium will today be the scene of the vigil of the Foral police, where from the first hour of the morning there has been a constant influx of family, friends and colleagues. The driver of the truck injured in the accident has been discharged but is in shock.
Three residents of the former Fournier factory in Vitoria-Gasteiz have been evicted at the second launch in a week in the area
The Ertzaintza and the Vitoria-Gasteiz Local Police, by court order, have evicted three people who were on the industrial ship on Heraclio Fournier Street, alleging poor conditions and insecurity.
Life Nature's Finest Moments: Wednesday, June 3, 2026
On this occasion, the cameras of Life Nature have provided us with images of squirrels, flamingos, bird feeders, hooks, etc.
The judge in the Ibar case has given the prosecutor another month to decide on a new witness
According to Pablo Ibar's defense, the witness identified the two people who committed the murders, which would exonerate Ibar.
A moving minute of silence in the Navarre Parliament in memory of the five dead law enforcement officers
At the beginning of today's session, the Speaker of the House, Unai Hualde, read the institutional declaration adopted early in the morning at the Board of Spokespersons , a text that shows the "pain and grief" caused by the event.