The General Council of Pau will be renewed during the votes of 20 and 27 March. In 10 of the 21 cantons of the Northern Basque Country, new councillors will be selected. These vows have been for six years so far, and these are for three years; as the last ones to do so. The French Government has enacted the Land Reform Act. There are changes in the political framework of the Hexagon.

We talked about the change in the institutions of the French State at the beginning of the colloquium with the candidate Dominique Bacho: “There will be multiple changes in competencies, especially the departments will lose their general competence, which means that they can only deal with defined competencies. This vote is like a burial of the department.”

Some high, have “seen” in the liver of this reform a kind of French decentralization.

In my opinion, centralization will be even greater. We see it as a weakening of power in the Basque Country – and in the interior in particular. By comparison, since the elected ones will be elected according to the number of people, the interior - in contrast to the urban and coastal cantons - will lose some of the elected ones. The elected will be more in the populated areas of the cities and they will lose their proximity to the village.

Since 2014, the Councilors of the Territorial Colleges and the Department will be elected.

There shall be an equal number of elected in the territory and in the department. It’s not clear how the finances will be managed. For example, the rate of professionals will be abolished and the State will give money in return for it. It must be managed with the financing provided by the State. Competition is one thing and the negation of faculties is another. For us, denial of powers means being able to influence management. For example, you can give different orientations at a social level if you have taxation at your disposal. With this new law, the state will have even more control over taxation. It will be financially well-structured, and the State will also take over the small steps that have been taken up until now. For us, the reform will clearly lead to greater centralisation. We are against the normal reform. The powers of Paris will diminish some of the competition that local institutions have had so far.

Another peculiarity is that up to now it took 10% of the votes to move to the second round, now 12.5%.

Baiki, 12.5% of those who can vote are needed to move on to the second round. Taking into account the abstention, 16-17% of the votes may be necessary. The measure has been taken in favour of large parties to exclude typical parties.

There are two patriotic lists in general: EH Yes and EAJ-PNB. Why don't you show up at the same time?

EH Yes is a coalition formed by EA, AB and the Union. The PNB has refused to join the coalition. You have to ask him why. They are imagining that the Aquitaine regional vote yielded positive results and they want to know how much they will also collect in these votes. The result was in a special situation. The tactics of the remaining nationalists were not well understood and the many voted for the PNB. The PNB also accepts liberalism, we are on the left. We have great differences in the social sphere.

In the canton of Garazi EH Bai could very well play the role of arbitrator.

In Garazi it can happen that there is a referee between the left and the right, but that is not exciting. In this case, we will be forced in some way to enter into political games, to “force” ourselves to adapt according to the interests of other parties. If the results are good in the first round, the ideal would be for us to be in the second round. In the interior we have the best options to achieve something. Iholdin compares. But even if Daniel Olzomendi has the chance, it will be difficult. In the last round, Jean-Louis Caset was elected in the first round, collecting 60% of the votes. Of course, the choice will have to be made in each place, depending on the honesty of the other candidates.

What are EH Bai’s motto and/or goal in the campaign, in Garazi and in general?

The motto of EH Bai is “The Basque Country, our strength. Work, live and decide in the Basque Country”. The main objective is to achieve the Basque institution. The most intractable problem of the season is related to land and employment. Even if it seems otherwise, in Garazi there is insufficient land, the management of the land is also very important in Garazi. There are problems to undermine the company, if there is no land for the company, they will go elsewhere. In the People's Colleges, the land is being sliced. The housing problem is also big. In the Basque Country and Garazi the land is also very expensive to sell. The square metre of some of the [solar] sites near Saint-Jean-de-Luz is 100 euros. Young people have a hard time making a home out of it. Job creation is difficult because of the scarcity of support for job creation. There are more and more elderly people, to meet their needs there is a need for nursing homes and hospitals, but in order for young people to be here it is also necessary to think about them.

The counselor is Frantxua Maitia (PS). What are you doing about his work?

At Garazi we haven’t noticed a big difference since he’s been a counselor. According to Maitia herself, it is an advantage to be in multiple institutions: In the departmental and regional councils, he is in institutions where he is sober. Elected officials manage public money, but limiting their role to the distribution of money is regrettable. Elected officials should work to support each other in developing a common policy. Even if they do not bring money, they should show consistency between projects. Limiting the work of elected officials to the management of money is one of the most serious ills of politics.

The General Council cancelled the Superhighway 2X2 in Navarre in 2007. Will the votes be affected by competition on this issue?

They can make an impact. Those who supported the project may deny a negative response. Jean-Jacques Lasserre and Barthelemy Aguerre were the promoters of the 2X2 project, which supports the candidate Jean-Marie Mailbrag (Forces 64). There were rapid mobilizations in the regions of Garazi, Oztibarre and Amikuze, which left some wounds. In any case, Maitia opposed it, although it was not clear from this socialist party.

11,300 vehicles pass through the centre of Saint Jean Pied de Port every day. How to solve the problem?

We are in favor of the variant. Imagine that this problem was already mentioned in 1956. Those who have been in power since then have done nothing. Perhaps because the merchants of Saint-Jean-de-Luz did not want this deviation to be carried out. They have still allowed their homes to be built, and now it is more difficult to make the way through. The deviation must be proportionate. We don’t want to take a step forward from the highway project. We are in favor of the diversion and so are almost all the elected ones. Then there is a problem, a kilometer and a half is not yet fixed on where the road will pass. We have said that we are not capable of taking a fixed position on this issue, because technically we do not have all the elements. All studies should be carried out to see if the project will leave the site of departure. In general, we want you to go from the north, between Izura and Saint-Jean-de-Luz. It is necessary to integrate the good way both in the environment and in the neighborhoods. Steps must be taken to remove the scrub so that it does not become a nuisance in the neighbourhoods.

Supporters of the 2x2 motorway claimed that it was intended to promote cross-border communication in Navarre.

Both in Upper Navarre and in the South in general, it is one thing to make the way and another to establish links, since it is necessary to make connections. The road is basically a superficial thing. The connection, let’s say, is to make real contracts between the communities here and there to promote real relationships. Now there is no connection between the institutions here and there, not between Upper Navarre and Lower Navarre. To do something we have to go through the institutions of Pau or Bordeaux. We need our institution. The current institutions do not foster real relationships. The boundary between Arnegi and Luzaide is still great.

Young people are asking for a home. What's the matter?

The Beloved has not fulfilled what he promised. In addition, it has imposed on young people the fact that they have not made the Youth Center. The young people are high, they are organized, they have an association formed but they do not perceive a building to be located. The young people have made a kind of Youth House in a borda. The youth center is a project for the whole canton, it is not a hostel, it is a place of information and discussion, a living space. Maitia is not so sure the only responsible, there are also the Houses of the People. Everyone needs to step up and take on the demand of young people. There is a division of responsibilities in such things.

With the presence of the Chamber of Cultivation, the cultivation in Garazi is an important topic.

Cultivation is the largest source of our economy, the backbone of Garazi. It is surrounded by many jobs, cooperatives, shops and many jobs indirectly. The philosophy of the Basque Country Chamber of Agriculture is precisely the promotion of the typical and medium cultivation, so that as many farms as possible are alive and young people are planted in the farms. These are the ones that make people live, as well as ensuring quality benefits. Not only in terms of quantity, but also in terms of quality. Ours is the cultivation of the mountain, which is far from intensive cultivation. Promoting quality is the way out. The importance of Sormark is high, since the quality is established from the beginning.

The Basque language will also be a key theme of the campaign. Also in Garazi!

Yes, we are deeply troubled. I hear less and less Russian inside. You hear more French than Basque. All the candidates in the campaign say that they are in favor of the Basque language, but its use is decreasing, it is also decreasing in the interior. On the coast it is in the lowest common, but young people learn, little but it sounds like one. Garazin is a descendant of young people. There's a lot of work to be done. It is also true that there are more and more children in schools, and some young parents, even if they have lost the Basque language, have become aware and have given their children in schools. This is proof of support for the Basque language, an optimistic attitude about the future, but also in the interior the situation of the Basque language is very serious.