Council Secretary-General Paul Bilbao has made it clear that "once and for all, we see the possibility of creating a situation that embraces all Basques in a non-discriminatory manner. Taking advantage of the opportunity presented in the Parliament of Navarra for the Basque Country, the Basques and Basques will set in motion to create a situation that guarantees the linguistic rights of all citizens".

The Council explains that, since 1986, the Basque people in Navarre have suffered a systematic violation of their linguistic rights. The Foral Law of the Vascuence divided Navarre into three, which meant the deprivation of rights to much of the territory, without the possibility of living in Euskera. The right to live in Basque is only recognized to the citizens of the Basque Country; to the others not.

Time to repair damage caused for years

The Council has taken the opportunity, in cooperation with the citizens, to draw up a new Basque Law which is committed to the development of the Basque Country. "Once this work has been done, it is up to the parties to lay new and solid foundations for the new law to respond to the needs of the citizens. We now see an opportunity to ensure a proper situation for the Basques. A new law must be drawn up recognising linguistic rights. We believe that this is something that can be achieved and if we let this opportunity pass, we believe that the impact will be long-term," said Bilbao. "It's time to repair the damage you've done for years," he added.