On the occasion of its centenary, Eusko Ikaskuntza (EI) carried out a two-year process in 2018 with over a thousand people experts and experts in universities, public institutions and society. The objective was to outline a project for the future of Euskal Herria, with a perspective of 20/25 years.

The result of the process was socialised in Oñati in November last year and was endorsed by the top leaders of the three main institutions of the Basque Country. There is currently no country project that brings together a definition and legitimacy of the same level (See http://www.eusko-ikaskuntza.eus/eu/kongresua/dokumentazioa/eik-53/).

In the Centenary Congress, IS offered a hundred years ago “to fulfill the function entrusted to it in its origin with renewed forms: to work a long look at popular development, using knowledge and innovation, in close cooperation with public institutions, political and social actors, and with the citizens, in favor of public policies and social dynamics”.

The excellent participation of IS in the process of access to Congress shows that it is recognized as such leadership and that the commitment that has been made to revitalize the organization is credible. It now has at its disposal the construction of a complete system of alliances, with organizations and agents that can collaborate in the development of a shared project, in order to give the answers in times and forms appropriate to the demand of the organized society.

It is important that recognition of this new IS function be fully integrated by the institutions and actors, within a logical distribution of functions: IS is responsible for building long-term frameworks and from them making contributions to the people in execution, without being integrated into their role. In how many cases the boundary between the different areas of action will be diffuse, but it is essential to clarify the distribution of functions in order to build trust, without which permanent collaboration cannot be created.

If, at the political-administrative level, it is possible to advocate the consolidation and implementation of the three current areas (such as the CAPV Self-Government Conference), the risk of this trend would be avoided by building a strong dynamic of Basque herrigintza, that is, the development and implementation of a project that is shared and matured by IS, establishing the necessary public and social cooperation networks. The most effective bet to build Euskal Herria is to strengthen and stabilize the dynamics that has been put in place in Congress.