- The Council has declared that the Basque and Basque communities are in a situation of linguistic emergency. He warned that “if appropriate measures are not taken in the short term to translate socio-linguistic trends and existing structural problems, there is a setback”. The resolution proposed by the Council was adopted unanimously at a meeting of the European language network in Bilbao.
The resolution on the linguistic emergency was read in the general assembly of the European Network of Languages, ELEN, held in Bilbao on 9 November. Elin H Dr. G. The statement was read by the Presidents of Competences, Jones, the Secretary-General of Competition, Davyth Hicks, and Idurre Eskisabel, Vice-President of Competition and General Secretary of the Basque Advisory Council.
They have also recalled that Catalan and Galician, “nearby languages and in a similar situation”, have given the same warning. Competencies Competence points out that if there is no leap in language policy, these languages are “on the way to start losing rather than gaining social habitability”, including the Basque language.
The members of Assigned To The Project did not wish to appeal to the protest and have stated that the resolution adopted is “the way to take the first step towards redirecting the normalization and revitalization of the Basque Country”. To "reverse the situation", they considered it essential to place the normalization and revitalization of Euskera at the heart of the political and social agenda.
It has also called on European institutions, authorities, political, social and citizens to take measures to “avoid cultural homogenisation”.
Signs of weakening
In the resolution it stresses that the Basque Country has taken steps forward in its normalization and revitalization. They have explained that the number of speakers is increasing, but have listed some facts that show their fragility: In Iparralde the relative number of speakers is decreasing; in Navarre, six out of ten students have no relationship with the Basque language in the learning process; in the most Basque areas of the CAV the use of the Basque language is going backwards; and in the whole of Euskal Herria, only 17.5% of the speakers is more easily developed in Basque than in Spanish.
They have stated that frailty is directly related to the status of the Basque Country. They have recalled the situation of Ipar Euskal Herria and part of Navarre in which the Basque Country is not official. On the other hand, they have recalled the judicial offensive that is taking place in the CAV and in the “Vascophony Zone” of Navarre, through which “linguistic policies in favor of the Basque Country are being demolished”.
Finally, they referred to globalisation and digitisation. They affirm that “hegemonic languages are even more hegemonic and minority languages are more vulnerable”.