On September 1, 2008, the Provincial Council of Álava launched the Basque Service. During the previous two legislatures, for eight years, the PP had the authority and there was no specific plan for the normalization of the Basque language in the country. After the mandate of the PP, the triad between EAJ, EA and Aralar took over the government of the Provincial Council. Lorena López de Lacalle was appointed Deputy for Culture, Basque and Sports of the EA Party. The Vitoria-Gasteiz called the PP’s activity an “eight-year desert journey”.

For the first time in a year, the Strategic Plan of the Basque Country for the years 2010 and 2013 was presented. The value that the plan would have had in the seven squadrons of Álava (Agurain, Aiara, Añana, Guardia-Rioja Alavesa, Vitoria, Campana, Montaña Alavesa and Zuia) and also in the County of Treviño. The plan had three main objectives: to guarantee language rights, to promote the social use of the Basque language and to develop coordination and cooperation initiatives. It started with a budget of 1,039,978 euros. The Basque Department of Lorena López de Lacalle managed, among other things, to structure and complete its network of Basque language technicians. Previously, there were several Basque technicians working in some municipalities, but there was no network that would cover Álava. The formation of the network of technicians was considered strategic during the mandate of the MA, and has also been the case in the PNV.

EAJ follows the line of EA

In November 2010, the marriage of EA and EAJ to the Provincial Council was broken, which led EAJ to appoint Malentxo Arruabarren as Deputy of the Department of Culture, Basque and Sport. He had little time to do much. After the exhaustion of the PP, the EAJ follows the direction initiated by the EA. During these six months he has held meetings with agents of the Basque language in Álava, in order to analyze what each one is and what could be done. He has said yes to the Basque Strategic Plan planned until 2013 and the structuring and compaction of the network of Basque technicians in Álava is one of his priorities. In terms of forward-looking strategies, the department has among its main lines the promotion of the Basque language among young people. It should not be forgotten that in Álava it is the young people who know and use the Basque language the most.

What would happen, for example, if the Department of Culture, Basque and Sport were in charge of the PSE? The Vice-Ministry of Language Policy of the Basque Government is headed by the Socialists and the Basque Department of the City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz. The Basque Department of the Provincial Council collaborates with the City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz and HPS has indicated to the Provincial Council on several occasions that the work is being done well. Who knows what the PP would do. In any case, the drought of the previous eight-year mandate of the MA cannot be expected to return. This is just one example, but when Lorena Lopez de Lacalle presented her Strategic Plan for Euskera in 2009, the PP did not say otherwise.