The Basque Parliament has given the green light this Friday in committee to the legal reform bill promoted by the PNV to strengthen the legal certainty of linguistic requirements in access to public employment in Euskadi. The final approval is now pending the Plenary Session of the Chamber's decision. The initiative has prospered with the support of the PNV group, the abstention of EH Bildu, and the opposing votes of PSE-EE, PP, Sumar, and Vox.
The report has been approved in the Commission for Institutions, Public Governance, and Security, which, on the other hand, has rejected the alternative legislative proposal presented by EH Bildu with the same objective.
During the debate, PNV parliamentarian Markel Olano emphasized the need to "make an effort, each from their particular positions, to find common ground and move forward" in the process of normalizing the Basque language in all areas.
Alluding to the rejection of the proposal by PSE-EE—PNV's partner in the Basque Government—he insisted that, despite the "discrepancies" between the two parties on this issue, "it is important" to continue working to find a shared "space."
Olano defended the PNV's reform, stressing that it seeks to provide "legal certainty" which, as he recalled, various court rulings against linguistic requirements in public employment offers have shown "was not guaranteed."
On behalf of EH Bildu, parliamentarian Josu Aztiria stated that his group is "critical" of the PNV's approach, although he admitted that there can be "points of convergence" between the PNV's proposal and the one registered by his party.
Positions of the Groups
"IT IS NOT AN OPTION"
"We agree that the Administration must be fully bilingual, that linguistic rights are fundamental rights; that administrations must have decision-making capacity, and therefore, as we have said many times, for EH Bildu, a lack of agreement is not an option," he stated.
He clarified, however, that EH Bildu's abstention in this committee regarding the PNV's proposal does not necessarily determine the vote of his group in the Plenary Session, and he stressed that they will continue to try "until the last minute" to reach an agreement with the PNV.
From the PSE-EE, Pau Blasi has reiterated his group's rejection of both initiatives, considering that "they will bring more insecurity and will bring more difficulties." Even so, he has assured that his party will continue to defend "a sensible and flexible linguistic policy that addresses the country's reality, which is very plural, very diverse, and needs policies that address that plurality."
The PP parliamentarian, Santiago López, has assured that the approval of the opinion constitutes "an outrage to the rights of citizens," and has maintained that "the Basque administration does not need more Basque."
The representative from Sumar, Jon Hernández, has reiterated his opposition to the legal modifications promoted by PNV and EH Bildu, and has censured that the amendments registered by his group have not even been negotiated.
Finally, the Vox parliamentarian, Amaia Martínez, has criticized that both legislative proposals seek to "deepen the imposition of linguistic policies in public administration."