Two days later, the advertising wave announcing the Ironman of Vitoria said: “Anything is possible.” I had an appointment with a friend at Plaza Nueva in Vitoria-Gasteiz and, along the way, I saw other posters, advertising stands and tents. Some in English (“Finish Line”, “Official Store”, “Village”...); others in English and Spanish (“Athlete Guide/ Athlete Guide”, “Main Locations/ Main Locations”, “Bus Service/ Bus Service”...). But I did not see any trace of the Basque Country in any of the aforementioned supports.

I understand that the Ironman is an international brand, that most participants are from outside the Basque Country and that the economic impact it has on the city is enormous. I will not doubt all of this. Therefore, the use of English is not in question. What I highlight is that being an event that occupies for several days squares, streets and/or roads of our city and that receives an economic contribution from the administrations, it should meet a series of requirements, even with regard to the use of languages. And the truth is that, in this case, these conditions are included in the sponsorship agreement with the City of Vitoria-Gasteiz: “The contractor and, where appropriate, the subcontractors, during the performance of the contract, shall ensure the co-ordinality of both languages (Basque and Spanish) and their performance shall be in accordance with criteria of bilingualism and respect for the linguistic rights of citizenship (...) All general communications shall be bilingual (...) General communications means web pages, signalling and signalling, information, advertising.

This is just one example. The Basque Country has a wide range of activities, sports tests, cultural events, concerts, music festivals, fairs in various areas of the industry, etc., which are organised not only in summer but also throughout the year. In most of them, the public administration is an organiser or has its support, including the financial contribution. Obviously, everything is possible, including the non-use of the languages of the territory in the advertising media used in the initiatives in which the administrations participate, even if they are included in a convention. In general, there is no monitoring of compliance with the conventions and no penalty is imposed in the event of non-compliance. When will we see the administrations applying their linguistic criteria and checking compliance with the linguistic requirements to those who wish to develop a show or event?

Because my friend hadn't come to the date on time, I looked at the newspaper covers while I was drinking coffee. The news of that day was the design of the headquarters for the new “EDA Drinks and Wine Campus” to be opened in Vitoria-Gasteiz, a space framed within the Basque Culinary Center ecosystem, promoted by the Basque Government and the Provincial Council of Álava and in which the City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz participates. Hundreds of projects are called in English and are expected to become initiatives of all kinds, cosmopolitan and more widely disseminated. In May, for example, we had the initiative “Vitoria-Gasteiz, City of Flowers”, organized by the City of Vitoria-Gasteiz, with the support of the government and the Council, and associations of merchants and businessmen. As far as the programme is concerned, the public objective was not foreign, no conferences or activities were scheduled in English... In what strategy did they choose this designation?

In any case, being organized, promoted or sponsored by local authorities, it is necessary to ensure the proper use of Euskera. Euskera must be valued and we need levers to reverse the practices we have carried out so far: leadership, clear vision of the political and technical leaders, public policies that allow the use of Euskera, measures that guarantee Euskera in all kinds of events organized, promoted or sponsored by the administrations, funding and monitoring, among other things. It is possible if it is successful with the right levers and authors.

Rober Gutiérrez