In the letter you have agreed, you say that EHE is weak and that you have three reasons for doing so.

Azaitz García: A few years ago, we felt a lot of concern at EHE, because in general the popular movement and the militancy models were changing. This affected the EHE and the dynamics that until then it developed were barely moving forward. The achievement of the objectives was therefore difficult. This was one of the main reasons, the situation of the VLE itself. There were fewer groups, the militancy style changed.

The second was the situation of Basque cultural activity. We represented the Basque without the north. The third is the political context. These three main reasons led us to reflect. We came to the conclusion that we had to think deeply.

Your main symbols have been defense and demand. They now want to promote collaboration between the institutions and the world of Euskera.

Urko Aierbe: EHE has not denied collaboration. We have worked in partnership with institutions that are committed to the normalization of the Basque Country, such as Udalbiltza and UEMA. We were not opposed to the institutions, but opposed to the policies that the institutions were developing. Opposition, criticism or denunciation.

Cooperation between the institutions and Basque cultural activity is necessary, it is essential, but we have two clear conditions. Firstly, the institutions must work towards the recovery of the Basque Country, and secondly, cooperation should be honest and fair. How do we understand honesty and loyalty? Mutual recognition. That the institutions recognize that they have to act in favor of the Basque people, but that the popular movement also has it. We are often not allowed. Furthermore, why are we not going to jointly think and design language policies and share decision-making capacities?

The example of the model we do not want for us is Euskera Day on 3 December last year. The document was prepared by the institutions and they came to the agents to ask them whether or not we were going to join. You couldn't change a comma.

Are disobedience and joint work compatible?

Bah! Aierbe: It is normal for us. We will use one or another tool depending on the language policy carried out by the institutions. We do not criticise the parties for being such or for being the institutions of one colour or another, but for the policies they pursue. Institutions must show willingness, the way to build bridges.
A. Gartzia: Right now, we're focusing on building bridges. We have to have a blank page to collaborate, among all, to seek consensus. This people does not have their own legal framework, it depends on two states, and we would like the institutions to adopt disobedient behaviour one day. On that road we want to put Basque culture, political action and institutions on the same footing.
Bah! Aierbe: We're not just talking about EHE, we're talking about Euskera. In 1998 and 2004, an agreement was signed between the different political and social actors in which Basque cultural activity was present. They sat down on white paper. Both of these experiences were on the way. Not having gone ahead does not mean that the tool was inadequate. In our opinion, today there are conditions to try for the third time in Euskal Herria. Let us sit alongside parties, institutions and social partners, set objectives, agree measures, give it a new impetus.

What is the Council's role in this context?

A. Gartzia: As he had before, he now also has a great deal of weight. It is true that the world of Euskera in its entirety is losing direction, but we believe that the Council has united Euskera within a political leadership. Following the Linguistic Rights Guarantee protocol, we have a lot of work to do and it seems to us a very interesting tool. The Council has done a great deal of work on the preparation of the protocol. The Council must be a very powerful tool for achieving the agreement that we and we are proposing in the unification of the Basque country.

Is it a big change that EHE did?

Bah! Aierbe: We think we haven't made that much change. As we brought our readings to action, when we made complaints and demands, people, looking from the outside, made the following reading: EHE has a policy that is contrary to the linguistic policies of the institutions. But our reading was: What is the legal and political framework that governs the situation in the Basque Country? Is it appropriate? We do not think so, for we shall be denouncing it. Will we continue along the same path as in recent decades or will we follow other paths in partnership? We are looking forward to proper language policies being pursued by the institutions. We would applaud them.
A. Gartzia: More than anything new, there have been updates on form and content. As far as the form is concerned, we are satisfied because we have started from self-criticism. Many people have participated in the preparation of the document, and all Euskaltzales from outside the EHE have had the opportunity to participate both through the assemblies and through the questionnaires. As far as content is concerned, innovation is that we have brought them to a document. EHE has a long history, he has said many things, he has written, but the crisis and the situation we have experienced in recent years has probably led us to silence, not to be on the streets, the dynamics have been more modest. Now all of this is written in the document and we have tried to get as many people as possible. It is an update, but it is not an innovative revolution that we have put on the table. It is written within the framework of the current political and legal options.

On March 18 you will celebrate in Arrasate the Basque Country Bizi Eguna. A few years ago it was Language Rights Day.

A. Gartzia: We still have to be denouncing violations of language rights, we cannot forget that. It is true, we have had an evolution and a few years ago we said it was time to live in Basque. That we had to put into practice the option of living in Basque. We have been organizing Euskaraz Bizi Egunak for eight years. This year we have two peculiarities: on the one hand, to disseminate the conclusions of the reflection, and on the other, to claim that we want to put the Basque country in the line of profit, that we are really going to live in Basque, that we are going to Euskaldunizar this people.