Community Sponsorship in the Basque Country: Empowering Autonomy and Integration Through a Constructive Private and Public Partnership

The Auzolana II agreement is an innovative multi-level governance initiative in which the Spanish national government and authorities of the Basque Country agreed to set up a pilot community sponsorship programme (CSBC) in 2019. The CSBC is a new sponsorship model which operates through a strong partnership between regional and local authorities, civil society organisations and volunteers within local communities. This paper offers insight into the design and functioning of the CSBC and how its approach facilitates or hinders sponsored refugees’ autonomy in their settlement processes, ultimately aiming to facilitate their integration into their new communities. Based on qualitative data collected from two evaluations conducted in 2021 and 2022, the analysis involved combining two theoretical frameworks. The first, refugee-integration-opportunity structures, examines autonomy and integration through locality, relations, structure, support initiatives, and discourse. The second framework comprises 15 assessment points used to measure the effectiveness of private sponsorship. Findings show that the CSBC enhanced refugees’ access to services, training, education and social networks, strengthening their autonomy. To maximise future impact, regional disparities must be addressed, volunteer profiles diversified, cultural training expanded and the CSBC should complement rather than replace Spain’s refugee quota.