The representatives of the Council spoke of the need for a socio-political agreement that would once again put the normalization of the Basque Country in the right direction, and pointed out that 2025 will be an important year for the Basque Country and the Basque Country community. They also announced a great social mobilization by December 2025.

The hearing was attended by the Federation of Ikastolas of Navarra, AEK, Euskaltzaleen Topagunea, IKA, sortzen, Errigora, Emun, UEU, Euskal Herrian Euskaraz and the Observatory on Linguistic Rights, and by the Director General of the Council, Kisastabel Ikesabel, Kisesabel

Request to parties to amend the Basque Law

The Foral del Vascuence Act was adopted 38 years ago, on 15 December 1986. In Navarra they recognized that the Basque Country has taken steps forward, but that some of the inertias that existed at the time of that law are still in force and have considered it essential to overcome them.

Among the major shortcomings were the following: “In Navarre, knowledge of the official and non-own languages continues to be valued, and the Basque language becomes a fourth level language; difficulties to enroll in the Basque model persist; they are discriminated as bilingual officials by the knowledge of the Basque Country; they are more focused on the possible aggression of the opposites than on the benefit that any decision could bring to the cohesion of the citizens”.

They have described it as surprising that some of the measures put in place at that time to marginalise the Basques and create even more discrimination among the citizens have not been repealed. To overcome this situation, “it is now up to the parties to say to what extent they want to break with the inertia that was put in place to discriminate against the Basques”.

Decalogue for change

1. Change of legal architecture. The Basque country needs a new law that guarantees the linguistic rights of all Navarros, that goes beyond zoning and that extends the official status to the whole of Navarre.

2. The administration must be used as an example. The current order of merit must be put to an end and a new regulation must be drawn up to guarantee the relationship in Basque to citizenship.

3. The Basque budget must be increased. It shall be at least 2% of the total budget. Furthermore, language policy will become a cross-cutting line of government policies.

4. The education system must implement the Euskaldunisation system for the new generations.

5. Consolidate and strengthen the adult Euskaldunization sector.

6. Measures are needed to shape the socio-economic area.

7. To protect the media in Basque.

8. Promote the Euskaldunization of free time.

9. Protect the respiratory areas.

10. Promote initiatives to change social use and language habits.