Spanish Supreme Court upholds annulment of Basque language hiring rule

The Spanish Supreme Court confirmed a ruling of the Basque High Court that invalidated the Basque Government’s requirement that subcontracted companies meet the same Basque‑language criteria as public employees. The decision follows a July Constitutional Court order that rejected a constitutional challenge raised by the Vox party against the 2022 Public Employment Law, which mandates linguistic profiles for all positions in the Basque public administration. Earlier, the Basque Parliament, led by the PNV and abstaining EH Bildu, approved a reform intended to protect language requirements in public‑sector hiring. However, continued judicial setbacks have left the legal status of the language‑based hiring rule uncertain.