Euskara's Woes in Navarre

Today at Berria:

UPN’s language policy denounced again by Europe through the EBLUL

The general assembly of the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages has condemned the changes to the bylaws approved by the Iruñea (Pamplona) City Council “because they will have great influence on killing Iruñea’s bilingual landscape”

Alberto Barandiaran – IRUÑEA (Pamplona)

The European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages (EBLUL) has continually denounced the language policy of the UPN (Union of the Navarrese People), and has called on the Iruñea City Council to review the direction it has taken, and to bring it in line with the model specified in the European Declaration on Regional and Lesser Used Languages.

In the general assembly held in Helsinki on September 13 representatives of lesser used languages from the whole of Europe denounced the decision adopted by the Iruñea municipal council to modify the Basque language bylaws, and passed a resolution declaring that this measure contravened the foundations of the language policy of the European Institutions “in both the spirit and the letter.”

In a municipal council meeting this month the City Council, with the votes of the UPN and the CDN (Convergence of Navarrese Domocrats), approved the abolishing of the A and B level language profiles for its staff and the separation between Basque and Spanish on the printed forms and public signs. As far as the EBLUL is concerned, these changes “will have great influence on killing Iruñea’s bilingual landscape, and on restricting the relations Basque speakers have with the administration.”

The resolution states that “Basque is the only language in danger in this community and for this reason it should not have to suffer the damaging consequences of these reforms.”

Mitxel Etxebarria, who represents the Basque Country in the EBLUL, highlighted the fact that the new resolution rejects the UPN’s language policy. “Europe has said that language policy does not go down that road.”

On February 3, 2001, the EBLUL passed a similar resolution entitled “Résolution Basque”. At that time the government headed by Miguel Sanz had just passed a decree restricting the use of Basque, and this caused an outcry.

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