On the occasion of the International Day of the Basque Country, coinciding with the Day of Navarre, an event was held in Tabakalera de Donostia. In this edition, Lakua has put at the centre the challenge of increasing the use of Euskera in the digital sphere and has called its accession to the Gaitak campaign of the Department of Culture and Linguistic Policy. The campaign invites vascospeakers to record their voices and publish them on the web gaitu.eus. CAV President Iñigo Urkullu has opened the call to join the initiative, as “the more voice, the wider the material will be.”

Led by Lehendakari Iñigo Urkullu, the programme has been attended by several members: Bigen Zupiria, Olatz Garamendi, Arantxa Tapia, Jokin Bildarratz, Gotzone Sagardui and Nerea Melgosa. Parliament president Bakartxo Tejeria, the mayor of San Sebastian, Eneko Goia, representatives of Euskalgintza and members of EH Bildu, among others, have also been present.

Urkullu pointed out that Euskera needs “its place” in the digital sphere: “To live and advance among other languages. It is a new challenge, one that corresponds to the time in which we live. In that we are moving forward.” The Institutional Declaration of the Lake confirms the declaration of Urkullu and stresses the need to teach the digital tool to work in Basque.

Criticism of the Education Law

In the joint manifesto of EH Bildu and EH Bai on Basque Day, they highlighted that five different legal situations in the Basque Country make normalization difficult, according to Naiz: “This lack of protection favors the intervention of the States of France and Spain and the aggression against the Basque Country.” They point out that although there has been progress in the knowledge of Basque in geographical areas with official status, there is no progress in other areas.

EH Bildu and EH Bai are concerned about maintaining language policy in the Education Act for Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa: “If this law is passed, we will lose the opportunity to take another step in the normalization of the Basque Country.”

Social aspects

The Council has joined the day and stressed that “free provision and resources” are essential for the universalization of the Basque country.

The GEU Association has made an all-day schedule. At 19:15 hours, in the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca of Vitoria-Gasteiz, shows and walkways have been organized to make the Basque public.

For its part, the popular movement Euskal Herrian Euskaraz has claimed in Pamplona the Republic of the Euskera and over the poster of the Plaza de la Constitución has placed a poster that says the plaza of the Republic of the Euskera.

In Tudela the members of the Tuteran Euskaraz group have also met under the motto Euskara Ofcial throughout Navarra.