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World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples ‐ Spain : Basques 

Profile

For Basque nationalists Euskadi, the Basque Country, takes in the four Spanish provinces of 
Álava, Guipúzcoa, Navarra and Vizcaya, and the French pays of Labourd, Soule and Lower 
Navarra. More Basques live in Spain than on the French side of the Pyrenees, but Basque 
separatists consider the Basque country to cover both regions.

There are six main dialects, three in Spain (Bizkaian, Gipuzkoan and Upper Navarrese) and three 
in France (Lower Navarrese, Lapurdian and Zuberoan), but the dialect boundaries do not follow 
the political boundaries. A seventh dialect is standardized Basque, Batua, which is based on 
Gipuzkoan. There are around 600,000 people in the País Vasco and Navarra in Spain for whom 
Basque is the first language. But just under half the population of each, thus about 1.2 million, 
have some knowledge of Basque. The País Vasco is the second most industrialized region of 
Spain, after Catalunya, and the wealthiest region of Spain. The majority of jobs in Navarra are in 
tourism and other services but the region is much poorer.

Historical context

Basques are the long‐established inhabitants of the region on either side of the western 
Pyrenees. Their language is distinct from other Indo‐European languages and has survived 
without incorporating much of the latter.

The Duchy of Vasconia was established in the seventh century. In the ninth century the territory 
had shrunk to the present‐day Basque Country as the Kingdom of Pamplona, later known as the 
Kingdom of Navarre. The Spanish provinces of the present‐day Basque Country joined Castile in 
1200. War between Castile and France led to the division of Basque territory between France and 
Spain in 1513. The Statutes of Vizcaya gave a certain measure of autonomy to the Spanish 
regions in raising finance and deciding their own laws. The Statutes were revoked in 1839 and 
abolished in 1876 following the defeat of the Basque Country in the two Carlist wars.

The Basque nationalist movement was born in opposition to the central government. At the same 
time the Basque country was industrializing and its mining and shipbuilding industries brought 
large‐scale immigration from poorer areas of Spain. This led to the alienation of rural Basques. 
Sabina Arana‐Goiti, the first Basque ideologue, defined Basques anthropologically and 
linguistically, forbade 'intermarriage' and opposed Spanish immigration and immigrants. In 1895 
he founded the Basque Nationalist Party (Partido Nacionalista Vasco, or PNV).

In October 1936, on the eve of the Civil War, the Second Republic approved the Basque autonomy 
statute. Basques supported and fought with the Republicans in the Civil War, and their region 
suffered viciously at the hands of the Nationalists, whose German allies bombed Guernica, the 
ancient Basque capital. Franco's victory and the Republicans' defeat unleashed a tide of revenge 
against Basques. Some 21,000 Basques died in the aftermath of the war; thousands more went 
into exile or were imprisoned. Under the Franco regime all traces of self‐government were lost; 
the Basque language was banned; and teachers unable to demonstrate 'political reliability' were 
removed from Basque schools. The PNV formed a government in exile in France.

In 1959 Basque Homeland and Freedom (Euskadi Ta Azkatasuna, or ETA) was formed. Its aim is 
an independent socialist Basque state uniting the Basque provinces of Spain and France. Unlike 
the PNV it advocated class struggle, the overthrow of the dictatorship and solidarity with Spanish 
immigrants. According to ETA, anyone who sold their labour in the Basque Country was entitled to 
be considered Basque. ETA's war against the Spanish state – involving bank robberies, 
kidnappings and assassinations – had a huge impact. The government replied with repressive 
police tactics, including illegal detention and mistreatment of prisoners. In 1968 the government 
declared a state of emergency. ETA was at the forefront of the struggle against Franco, and in 
1973 it assassinated the Prime Minister and Franco's self‐appointed heir, Admiral Carrero Blanco.

With Franco's death in 1975 Basque nationalists demanded full independence. Rejecting the 1978 
Spanish Constitution, they called for sovereignty, self‐determination and measures to improve 
the working and living conditions of the working class. The PNV accepted the 1979 autonomy 
statute but continued to press for greater autonomy (avoiding the word 'independence'). ETA 
proceeded with its bombing campaigns, experiencing a rise in popularity during the next decade. 
A new Basque left‐wing alliance, Herri Batasuna (United People), which rejected working within 
the Spanish state system, also gained support. According to recent allegations, during the 1980s 
government‐financed units waged a 'dirty war' on ETA in which more than two dozen Basques 
were killed.

During the first half of the 1990s support for both the Spanish Socialist Party, which was voted 
out of national office in 1996, and for ETA – which has been accused of perpetrating 
indiscriminate violence – declined among Basques. In January 1995, 150,000 people took part in a 
silent march against terrorism in Bilbao. But Basque nationalism remained vibrant and ETA 
continued its bombing campaign. ETA was wrongly accused of the Al Qaeda Madrid bombs in 
March 2004. These tragic events were followed by national elections which returned the anti ‐Iraq 
war Socialists to power. In March 2006 ETA called a ceasefire and the government planned peace 
talks. But no progress was made and ETA broke its ceasefire with a car bomb at Madrid's Barajas 
airport in late December 2006.

The Basque language has official status with Castilian Spanish in the autonomous region of the 
País Vasco and in the Basque‐speaking and mixed areas of Navarra. The 1982 Language 
Standardization Law in País Vasco and 1986 Ley Foral del Euskera in Navarra set out the use of 
the Basque language.

In the País Vasco several organizations were set up to promote the Basque language, including 
the Secretariat‐General for Linguistic Policy, the Consultative Council for the Basque Language, 
the Basque Institute of Public Administration and the Institute for the Promotion of Literacy and 
Renewed Knowledge of Basque among Adults and for the Regulation of the Euskaltegis Adult 
Basque Training Organization. The Basque language was introduced into the education system in 
1983 and a 1993 law defines more closely how Basque and Spanish are taught. Basque Radio and 
Television (EITB) was set up in 1983. In 1989 there was an agreement on the funding of the 
Academy of the Basque Language Euskaltzaindia. Other new regulations included the 1981 rules 
for teaching Basque to adults and the 1989 standardization plan for the use of Basque by the 
various public administrative bodies.

In Navarra the Academy of the Basque Language is the consultative institution for linguistic 
standards. Statutory Decree 159/89 established four linguistic models through which Basque can 
be given its place in the education system. In 1990 the government of Navarre assumed full 
powers over education policy.

Current issues

The use of Basque or Euskerra is growing among young people, in public administration, the mass 
media and in general in País Vasco. It is expected to continue increasing on account of active 
policies to promote the language and willingness on the part of the public to use it. Although 
fluency in Basque is not required in employment, except for the civil service, it is an important 
consideration in recruitment, especially for jobs requiring contact with the public. In Navarra, 
although there are few speakers for whom it is the first language, there are a growing number 
who understand Basque, and again this trend is expected to continue on account of policy and 
public support.

Basque is a compulsory subject at all levels of school in País Vasco. It is the language of 
instruction in some pre‐primary and primary schools. Basque is taught in colleges and is the 
teaching language in certain university faculties in both País Vasco and Navarra. In Navarra 
Basque is either the teaching medium or taught as a subject in schools in the Basque‐speaking 
areas. There are also private Basque‐language schools, the ikastolas, run by pupils' parents on a 
cooperative basis.

The only daily newspaper published entirely in Basque, Egunkaria, was closed in 2003 by the 
Spanish Civil Guard who deemed it too close to terrorists, especially ETA. ETA's own daily 
newspaper, Egin, was closed in 1998. The radical Basque daily Gara is published in Spanish and 
Basque. Other daily newspapers are published in Spanish and have some Basque content. There 
are weekly newspapers, monthly and quarterly magazines published in Basque.

Basque Radio and Television (EITB) has four TV channels and five radio stations broadcasting to 
about 1 million viewers and listeners a day. There are several private radio stations broadcasting 
in Basque. The regional network of Spanish public broadcaster TVE has transmitted some TV 
programmes in Basque since 1992.

here is Basque language book and music publishing in País Vasco. All film makers who receive 
subsidies from the regional government must produce a copy of their film dubbed into Basque.

Copyright notice:  © Minority Rights Group International. All rights reserved.

Title

World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples ‐ Spain : Basques

Publisher

Minority Rights Group International

Publication Date

2008

Cite as

Minority Rights Group International, World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous 

Peoples ‐ Spain : Basques, 2008, available at: 

http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/49749caa23.html [accessed 14 November 

2009] 

background image

Page generated in 0.033 seconds

Home

 

Topics

Population groups

Basques

 

  

Last Updated: Friday, 13 November 2009, 15:48 GMT

unhcr.org Partners Help Contact Site Map

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© UNHCR 2009  

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World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples ‐ Spain : Basques 

Profile

For Basque nationalists Euskadi, the Basque Country, takes in the four Spanish provinces of 
Álava, Guipúzcoa, Navarra and Vizcaya, and the French pays of Labourd, Soule and Lower 
Navarra. More Basques live in Spain than on the French side of the Pyrenees, but Basque 
separatists consider the Basque country to cover both regions.

There are six main dialects, three in Spain (Bizkaian, Gipuzkoan and Upper Navarrese) and three 
in France (Lower Navarrese, Lapurdian and Zuberoan), but the dialect boundaries do not follow 
the political boundaries. A seventh dialect is standardized Basque, Batua, which is based on 
Gipuzkoan. There are around 600,000 people in the País Vasco and Navarra in Spain for whom 
Basque is the first language. But just under half the population of each, thus about 1.2 million, 
have some knowledge of Basque. The País Vasco is the second most industrialized region of 
Spain, after Catalunya, and the wealthiest region of Spain. The majority of jobs in Navarra are in 
tourism and other services but the region is much poorer.

Historical context

Basques are the long‐established inhabitants of the region on either side of the western 
Pyrenees. Their language is distinct from other Indo‐European languages and has survived 
without incorporating much of the latter.

The Duchy of Vasconia was established in the seventh century. In the ninth century the territory 
had shrunk to the present‐day Basque Country as the Kingdom of Pamplona, later known as the 
Kingdom of Navarre. The Spanish provinces of the present‐day Basque Country joined Castile in 
1200. War between Castile and France led to the division of Basque territory between France and 
Spain in 1513. The Statutes of Vizcaya gave a certain measure of autonomy to the Spanish 
regions in raising finance and deciding their own laws. The Statutes were revoked in 1839 and 
abolished in 1876 following the defeat of the Basque Country in the two Carlist wars.

The Basque nationalist movement was born in opposition to the central government. At the same 
time the Basque country was industrializing and its mining and shipbuilding industries brought 
large‐scale immigration from poorer areas of Spain. This led to the alienation of rural Basques. 
Sabina Arana‐Goiti, the first Basque ideologue, defined Basques anthropologically and 
linguistically, forbade 'intermarriage' and opposed Spanish immigration and immigrants. In 1895 
he founded the Basque Nationalist Party (Partido Nacionalista Vasco, or PNV).

In October 1936, on the eve of the Civil War, the Second Republic approved the Basque autonomy 
statute. Basques supported and fought with the Republicans in the Civil War, and their region 
suffered viciously at the hands of the Nationalists, whose German allies bombed Guernica, the 
ancient Basque capital. Franco's victory and the Republicans' defeat unleashed a tide of revenge 
against Basques. Some 21,000 Basques died in the aftermath of the war; thousands more went 
into exile or were imprisoned. Under the Franco regime all traces of self‐government were lost; 
the Basque language was banned; and teachers unable to demonstrate 'political reliability' were 
removed from Basque schools. The PNV formed a government in exile in France.

In 1959 Basque Homeland and Freedom (Euskadi Ta Azkatasuna, or ETA) was formed. Its aim is 
an independent socialist Basque state uniting the Basque provinces of Spain and France. Unlike 
the PNV it advocated class struggle, the overthrow of the dictatorship and solidarity with Spanish 
immigrants. According to ETA, anyone who sold their labour in the Basque Country was entitled to 
be considered Basque. ETA's war against the Spanish state – involving bank robberies, 
kidnappings and assassinations – had a huge impact. The government replied with repressive 
police tactics, including illegal detention and mistreatment of prisoners. In 1968 the government 
declared a state of emergency. ETA was at the forefront of the struggle against Franco, and in 
1973 it assassinated the Prime Minister and Franco's self‐appointed heir, Admiral Carrero Blanco.

With Franco's death in 1975 Basque nationalists demanded full independence. Rejecting the 1978 
Spanish Constitution, they called for sovereignty, self‐determination and measures to improve 
the working and living conditions of the working class. The PNV accepted the 1979 autonomy 
statute but continued to press for greater autonomy (avoiding the word 'independence'). ETA 
proceeded with its bombing campaigns, experiencing a rise in popularity during the next decade. 
A new Basque left‐wing alliance, Herri Batasuna (United People), which rejected working within 
the Spanish state system, also gained support. According to recent allegations, during the 1980s 
government‐financed units waged a 'dirty war' on ETA in which more than two dozen Basques 
were killed.

During the first half of the 1990s support for both the Spanish Socialist Party, which was voted 
out of national office in 1996, and for ETA – which has been accused of perpetrating 
indiscriminate violence – declined among Basques. In January 1995, 150,000 people took part in a 
silent march against terrorism in Bilbao. But Basque nationalism remained vibrant and ETA 
continued its bombing campaign. ETA was wrongly accused of the Al Qaeda Madrid bombs in 
March 2004. These tragic events were followed by national elections which returned the anti ‐Iraq 
war Socialists to power. In March 2006 ETA called a ceasefire and the government planned peace 
talks. But no progress was made and ETA broke its ceasefire with a car bomb at Madrid's Barajas 
airport in late December 2006.

The Basque language has official status with Castilian Spanish in the autonomous region of the 
País Vasco and in the Basque‐speaking and mixed areas of Navarra. The 1982 Language 
Standardization Law in País Vasco and 1986 Ley Foral del Euskera in Navarra set out the use of 
the Basque language.

In the País Vasco several organizations were set up to promote the Basque language, including 
the Secretariat‐General for Linguistic Policy, the Consultative Council for the Basque Language, 
the Basque Institute of Public Administration and the Institute for the Promotion of Literacy and 
Renewed Knowledge of Basque among Adults and for the Regulation of the Euskaltegis Adult 
Basque Training Organization. The Basque language was introduced into the education system in 
1983 and a 1993 law defines more closely how Basque and Spanish are taught. Basque Radio and 
Television (EITB) was set up in 1983. In 1989 there was an agreement on the funding of the 
Academy of the Basque Language Euskaltzaindia. Other new regulations included the 1981 rules 
for teaching Basque to adults and the 1989 standardization plan for the use of Basque by the 
various public administrative bodies.

In Navarra the Academy of the Basque Language is the consultative institution for linguistic 
standards. Statutory Decree 159/89 established four linguistic models through which Basque can 
be given its place in the education system. In 1990 the government of Navarre assumed full 
powers over education policy.

Current issues

The use of Basque or Euskerra is growing among young people, in public administration, the mass 
media and in general in País Vasco. It is expected to continue increasing on account of active 
policies to promote the language and willingness on the part of the public to use it. Although 
fluency in Basque is not required in employment, except for the civil service, it is an important 
consideration in recruitment, especially for jobs requiring contact with the public. In Navarra, 
although there are few speakers for whom it is the first language, there are a growing number 
who understand Basque, and again this trend is expected to continue on account of policy and 
public support.

Basque is a compulsory subject at all levels of school in País Vasco. It is the language of 
instruction in some pre‐primary and primary schools. Basque is taught in colleges and is the 
teaching language in certain university faculties in both País Vasco and Navarra. In Navarra 
Basque is either the teaching medium or taught as a subject in schools in the Basque‐speaking 
areas. There are also private Basque‐language schools, the ikastolas, run by pupils' parents on a 
cooperative basis.

The only daily newspaper published entirely in Basque, Egunkaria, was closed in 2003 by the 
Spanish Civil Guard who deemed it too close to terrorists, especially ETA. ETA's own daily 
newspaper, Egin, was closed in 1998. The radical Basque daily Gara is published in Spanish and 
Basque. Other daily newspapers are published in Spanish and have some Basque content. There 
are weekly newspapers, monthly and quarterly magazines published in Basque.

Basque Radio and Television (EITB) has four TV channels and five radio stations broadcasting to 
about 1 million viewers and listeners a day. There are several private radio stations broadcasting 
in Basque. The regional network of Spanish public broadcaster TVE has transmitted some TV 
programmes in Basque since 1992.

here is Basque language book and music publishing in País Vasco. All film makers who receive 
subsidies from the regional government must produce a copy of their film dubbed into Basque.

Copyright notice:  © Minority Rights Group International. All rights reserved.

Title

World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples ‐ Spain : Basques

Publisher

Minority Rights Group International

Publication Date

2008

Cite as

Minority Rights Group International, World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous 

Peoples ‐ Spain : Basques, 2008, available at: 

http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/49749caa23.html [accessed 14 November 

2009] 

background image

Page generated in 0.033 seconds

Home

 

Topics

Population groups

Basques

 

  

Last Updated: Friday, 13 November 2009, 15:48 GMT

unhcr.org Partners Help Contact Site Map

Search 

Advanced Search Search Tips

Regions 

Countries 

Categories  

Browse by 

Resources  

Enter a word or phrase

Africa

Americas

Asia

Europe

Oceania

­ Select a country ­

Country Information

Legal Information

Policy Documents

Reference Documents

A ­Z Index

Topics

Publishers

Document Types

Special Features

Standards and Training

Information Alerts

Protection Starter Kit

Library

News

Refworld Personalization

External Links

© UNHCR 2009  

About

 

Accessibility

 

Disclaimer

 

Privacy

 

Text size 

 

Email this document 

Printable version 

 

World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples ‐ Spain : Basques 

Profile

For Basque nationalists Euskadi, the Basque Country, takes in the four Spanish provinces of 
Álava, Guipúzcoa, Navarra and Vizcaya, and the French pays of Labourd, Soule and Lower 
Navarra. More Basques live in Spain than on the French side of the Pyrenees, but Basque 
separatists consider the Basque country to cover both regions.

There are six main dialects, three in Spain (Bizkaian, Gipuzkoan and Upper Navarrese) and three 
in France (Lower Navarrese, Lapurdian and Zuberoan), but the dialect boundaries do not follow 
the political boundaries. A seventh dialect is standardized Basque, Batua, which is based on 
Gipuzkoan. There are around 600,000 people in the País Vasco and Navarra in Spain for whom 
Basque is the first language. But just under half the population of each, thus about 1.2 million, 
have some knowledge of Basque. The País Vasco is the second most industrialized region of 
Spain, after Catalunya, and the wealthiest region of Spain. The majority of jobs in Navarra are in 
tourism and other services but the region is much poorer.

Historical context

Basques are the long‐established inhabitants of the region on either side of the western 
Pyrenees. Their language is distinct from other Indo‐European languages and has survived 
without incorporating much of the latter.

The Duchy of Vasconia was established in the seventh century. In the ninth century the territory 
had shrunk to the present‐day Basque Country as the Kingdom of Pamplona, later known as the 
Kingdom of Navarre. The Spanish provinces of the present‐day Basque Country joined Castile in 
1200. War between Castile and France led to the division of Basque territory between France and 
Spain in 1513. The Statutes of Vizcaya gave a certain measure of autonomy to the Spanish 
regions in raising finance and deciding their own laws. The Statutes were revoked in 1839 and 
abolished in 1876 following the defeat of the Basque Country in the two Carlist wars.

The Basque nationalist movement was born in opposition to the central government. At the same 
time the Basque country was industrializing and its mining and shipbuilding industries brought 
large‐scale immigration from poorer areas of Spain. This led to the alienation of rural Basques. 
Sabina Arana‐Goiti, the first Basque ideologue, defined Basques anthropologically and 
linguistically, forbade 'intermarriage' and opposed Spanish immigration and immigrants. In 1895 
he founded the Basque Nationalist Party (Partido Nacionalista Vasco, or PNV).

In October 1936, on the eve of the Civil War, the Second Republic approved the Basque autonomy 
statute. Basques supported and fought with the Republicans in the Civil War, and their region 
suffered viciously at the hands of the Nationalists, whose German allies bombed Guernica, the 
ancient Basque capital. Franco's victory and the Republicans' defeat unleashed a tide of revenge 
against Basques. Some 21,000 Basques died in the aftermath of the war; thousands more went 
into exile or were imprisoned. Under the Franco regime all traces of self‐government were lost; 
the Basque language was banned; and teachers unable to demonstrate 'political reliability' were 
removed from Basque schools. The PNV formed a government in exile in France.

In 1959 Basque Homeland and Freedom (Euskadi Ta Azkatasuna, or ETA) was formed. Its aim is 
an independent socialist Basque state uniting the Basque provinces of Spain and France. Unlike 
the PNV it advocated class struggle, the overthrow of the dictatorship and solidarity with Spanish 
immigrants. According to ETA, anyone who sold their labour in the Basque Country was entitled to 
be considered Basque. ETA's war against the Spanish state – involving bank robberies, 
kidnappings and assassinations – had a huge impact. The government replied with repressive 
police tactics, including illegal detention and mistreatment of prisoners. In 1968 the government 
declared a state of emergency. ETA was at the forefront of the struggle against Franco, and in 
1973 it assassinated the Prime Minister and Franco's self‐appointed heir, Admiral Carrero Blanco.

With Franco's death in 1975 Basque nationalists demanded full independence. Rejecting the 1978 
Spanish Constitution, they called for sovereignty, self‐determination and measures to improve 
the working and living conditions of the working class. The PNV accepted the 1979 autonomy 
statute but continued to press for greater autonomy (avoiding the word 'independence'). ETA 
proceeded with its bombing campaigns, experiencing a rise in popularity during the next decade. 
A new Basque left‐wing alliance, Herri Batasuna (United People), which rejected working within 
the Spanish state system, also gained support. According to recent allegations, during the 1980s 
government‐financed units waged a 'dirty war' on ETA in which more than two dozen Basques 
were killed.

During the first half of the 1990s support for both the Spanish Socialist Party, which was voted 
out of national office in 1996, and for ETA – which has been accused of perpetrating 
indiscriminate violence – declined among Basques. In January 1995, 150,000 people took part in a 
silent march against terrorism in Bilbao. But Basque nationalism remained vibrant and ETA 
continued its bombing campaign. ETA was wrongly accused of the Al Qaeda Madrid bombs in 
March 2004. These tragic events were followed by national elections which returned the anti ‐Iraq 
war Socialists to power. In March 2006 ETA called a ceasefire and the government planned peace 
talks. But no progress was made and ETA broke its ceasefire with a car bomb at Madrid's Barajas 
airport in late December 2006.

The Basque language has official status with Castilian Spanish in the autonomous region of the 
País Vasco and in the Basque‐speaking and mixed areas of Navarra. The 1982 Language 
Standardization Law in País Vasco and 1986 Ley Foral del Euskera in Navarra set out the use of 
the Basque language.

In the País Vasco several organizations were set up to promote the Basque language, including 
the Secretariat‐General for Linguistic Policy, the Consultative Council for the Basque Language, 
the Basque Institute of Public Administration and the Institute for the Promotion of Literacy and 
Renewed Knowledge of Basque among Adults and for the Regulation of the Euskaltegis Adult 
Basque Training Organization. The Basque language was introduced into the education system in 
1983 and a 1993 law defines more closely how Basque and Spanish are taught. Basque Radio and 
Television (EITB) was set up in 1983. In 1989 there was an agreement on the funding of the 
Academy of the Basque Language Euskaltzaindia. Other new regulations included the 1981 rules 
for teaching Basque to adults and the 1989 standardization plan for the use of Basque by the 
various public administrative bodies.

In Navarra the Academy of the Basque Language is the consultative institution for linguistic 
standards. Statutory Decree 159/89 established four linguistic models through which Basque can 
be given its place in the education system. In 1990 the government of Navarre assumed full 
powers over education policy.

Current issues

The use of Basque or Euskerra is growing among young people, in public administration, the mass 
media and in general in País Vasco. It is expected to continue increasing on account of active 
policies to promote the language and willingness on the part of the public to use it. Although 
fluency in Basque is not required in employment, except for the civil service, it is an important 
consideration in recruitment, especially for jobs requiring contact with the public. In Navarra, 
although there are few speakers for whom it is the first language, there are a growing number 
who understand Basque, and again this trend is expected to continue on account of policy and 
public support.

Basque is a compulsory subject at all levels of school in País Vasco. It is the language of 
instruction in some pre‐primary and primary schools. Basque is taught in colleges and is the 
teaching language in certain university faculties in both País Vasco and Navarra. In Navarra 
Basque is either the teaching medium or taught as a subject in schools in the Basque‐speaking 
areas. There are also private Basque‐language schools, the ikastolas, run by pupils' parents on a 
cooperative basis.

The only daily newspaper published entirely in Basque, Egunkaria, was closed in 2003 by the 
Spanish Civil Guard who deemed it too close to terrorists, especially ETA. ETA's own daily 
newspaper, Egin, was closed in 1998. The radical Basque daily Gara is published in Spanish and 
Basque. Other daily newspapers are published in Spanish and have some Basque content. There 
are weekly newspapers, monthly and quarterly magazines published in Basque.

Basque Radio and Television (EITB) has four TV channels and five radio stations broadcasting to 
about 1 million viewers and listeners a day. There are several private radio stations broadcasting 
in Basque. The regional network of Spanish public broadcaster TVE has transmitted some TV 
programmes in Basque since 1992.

here is Basque language book and music publishing in País Vasco. All film makers who receive 
subsidies from the regional government must produce a copy of their film dubbed into Basque.

Copyright notice:  © Minority Rights Group International. All rights reserved.

Title

World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples ‐ Spain : Basques

Publisher

Minority Rights Group International

Publication Date

2008

Cite as

Minority Rights Group International, World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous 

Peoples ‐ Spain : Basques, 2008, available at: 

http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/49749caa23.html [accessed 14 November 

2009]