How is it possible for the Department of Finance of the Council to send its proposal to all Gipuzkoans who have to make the income declaration for the first time in the Basque country? Do the leaders of the Basque Country have no control or is it a waiver?

The Basque Country seems to be a marketing weapon in the hands of the Council of Gipuzkoa. In fact, this year the Gipuzkoan Treasury has carried out a marketing campaign with the aim of making the Basque country the linguistic option of the 100,000 taxpayers over the next three years.

However, the Foreign Minister of Finance and Finance explained that “the income campaign is a good opportunity to shake citizens’ consciences”. The official said that “Gipuzkoa is the most Euskaldun country in the Basque Country and, therefore, we have to be an example when it comes to promoting the use of our language”. But it is incomprehensible that I say that and send your proposal in Spanish only. Therein lies the difference between the marketing and the reality of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Country.

In the opinion of LAB, we are facing the eleventh attempt to speak out to the public. It is shameful, denounceable and unacceptable. Larrañaga himself acknowledged that “the effort made by society, public institutions and individuals for years has made in 2016 in Gipuzkoa of the population over 16 years of age about 306,000 people were vasco-speakers (50.6%). As a result of this effort for linguistic equality, at present in Gipuzkoa some 78,000 citizens have already chosen Euskera as a language of relationship with the Treasury”. And once that has been said, the proposal to distribute it in full in Spanish? It's terrible!

The honourable Member has assured us that the Hacienda foral is prepared to guarantee the linguistic rights of all citizens and to offer the quality service that it normally provides. “Whatever the tax question or concern, the Hacienda Foral de Gipuzkoa is able to respond in Basque,” he explained. He has therefore appealed to the citizens to take the step and opt for the Basque country, but Hacienda has done so only in Spanish.

LAB would like to remind the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, its Treasury and Mr. Larrañaga that all Basque citizens have the right to relate in Basque, both orally and in writing, to any of the administrations of the territory of the Basque Country. In fact, Law 10/1982 of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country states that Euskera is a language of its own and official language, together with Spanish.

Thus, all Basque citizens have the right to know and use the official languages both in word and in writing, as well as to carry out their professional activities in Basque. Public authorities should therefore ensure that no one is discriminated against on the basis of language in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country by taking appropriate measures to do so (Article 4). That is not what the Member has done.

On the other hand, Article 38 of Law 6/2003, on the Statute of Consumers and Users, states that the public institutions of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country will guarantee the presence of the two official languages in their relations with consumers and users and will therefore be willing to care for consumers and users whatever their official language. Nor has the Council of Gipuzkoa complied with it.

In this sense, the LAB union of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa wants to inform that the Department of Finance has been denounced both in the Observatory of Linguistic Rights and in Elebide, so that in the future the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa can develop the discourse and marketing in favor of the Basque Country, as well as good practices and policies.

*Koldobike Muniain Agote

Iñaki Mariskurrena Díez

Nadet Arrizabalaga Urbieta

Representatives of LAB of the Deputation