The minority languages of the French State will be those mentioned today in the French Parliament. It is precisely 19 Members of the Libertés and Territoires Group who will present a proposal for a law in favour of territorial languages, which will be discussed by the Members of the Legislature. The text in favour of minority languages in the Basque Autonomous Community was submitted on 30 December.

Restricted basic text

The basic proposal made up of nine articles has had to undergo numerous cuts by the Committee on Culture of the Basque Parliament. The initial text covered three areas: the consideration of territorial languages as heritage, the teaching and use of territorial languages in public services (signage and civil status records). Seven of the nine articles of the Committee on Culture do not involve major changes or new developments. The Basque confederation regrets the following: “The first and second articles do not establish how the teaching, promotion and development of territorial languages could be assisted, it is limited to a bilingual marker already well developed”.

Nevertheless, Basque cultural activity aims to follow the debate closely. “It is interesting to see that once again it forces several parliamentarians to mobilise and keeps the issue of territorial languages on the table.”

About 500 people met in Paris on November 30 last year in response to the collective call To Live Our Languages. Both Blanquer and the Minister of Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, criticised the statements they made against the reform of the lyceum and the model of immersion.