Basque Country (autonomous community)

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For the traditional overall Basque domain, see Basque Country (historical territory). For the French part (also named Pays Basque) see Northern Basque Country.

Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco
Euskal Autonomia Erkidegoa


Flag	Coat of arms

Anthem: Eusko Abendaren Ereserkia

Capital

Vitoria

Official language(s)

Spanish and Basque

Area
– Total
– % of Spain

Ranked 14th
7,234 km²
1.4%

Population
– Total (2005)
– % of Spain
– Density

Ranked 7th
2,124,846
4.9%
293.73/km²

Demonym
– English
– Spanish
– Basque

Basque
vasco/a
euskaldun

Statute of Autonomy

25 October 1979

Parliamentary
representation
– Congress seats
– Senate seats

19
15

President

Juan José Ibarretxe Markuartu (PNV)

ISO 3166-2

Eusko Jaurlaritza/Gobierno Vasco

Basque Country (Spanish País Vasco, Basque Euskadi) is an autonomous community in the Kingdom of Spain. The Autonomous community obtained the status of historical region within Spain with the Spanish Constitution of 1978. The capital is Vitoria-Gasteiz (Vitoria is the name in Spanish , Gasteiz in Basque ).

The Autonomous community of the Basque Country is one of the territories where Basque is spoken. The modern extent of Basque speaking territories are also called the Basque Country (Basque: "Euskal Herria").

The following provinces make up the Autonomous Community:

Álava (Basque Araba), capital Vitoria (Basque Gasteiz)
Biscay (Spanish Vizcaya, Basque Bizkaia), capital Bilbao (Basque Bilbo)
Guipúzcoa (Basque Gipuzkoa), capital San Sebastián (Basque Donostia)

Before the Spanish Constitution of 1978 and its system of autonomous communities, these three provinces were known in Spanish as the Provincias Vascongadas. The political structure of the autonomous communities is defined in the Gernika Statute, which was approved by the majority in a referendum held on October 25, 1979.

In 2003, the governing Basque Nationalist Party proposed to alter this statute through the Ibarretxe Plan. The project, though approved by majority in the Basque chamber, was finally rejected by a large majority in the Spain wide Cortes on the grounds that it contradicts the Spanish Constitution aforementioned.

In this regard, Basque nationalists cite the fact that the Spanish Constitution referendum –which was passed with a majority of votes also in the Basque Country (1978)– actually gave in the Basque Country the highest abstention rate in all Spain^[1] (the Basque Nationalist Party had endorsed abstention on the grounds that the Constitution was being forced upon them as a lesser evil). To this, those sectors also add the fact that the "no" votes in this referendum were also higher in the Basque Country than in the rest of Spain. All in all, these sectors believe that they are not bound to a constitution that they never endorsed.

1 Government
2 Languages
3 Territorial claims
4 Economy
5 Major cities
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Government

The current laws configure the autonomous community as a federation of the three constituent provinces, which had been ruled locally since their incorporation to Castile in 1200 by their own laws and institutions in what is known as the Foral System. These autonomous regimes, similar to the one for Navarre, were curtailed in the 19th century, largely suspended under Franco, but restored by the Spanish Constitution of 1978.

The post-Franco Spanish Constitution of 1978 acknowledges "historical rights" and attempts compromise in the old conflict between centralism and federalism by the establishment of autonomous communities (e.g. Castile and Leon, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, etc). The provincial governments (diputación foral) were restored only in the Basque Country and Navarre, but many of their powers were transferred to the new government of the Basque Country and Navarra autonomous communities; however, the provinces still perform tax collection in their respective territories, coordinating with the Basque, Spanish and European governments.

Under this system the Diputaciones Forales (Basque: Foru Aldundiak) administer most of each of the provinces but are coordinated and centralized by the autonomous Basque Government (Spanish Gobierno Vasco, Basque: Eusko Jaurlaritza).

The seats of the Basque Parliament and Government are in Vitoria-Gasteiz, but the Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country provides for their transference to Pamplona if Navarre ever decides to join the Basque Autonomous Community. The Parliament is composed of 25 representatives from each of the three provinces. The Basque Parliament elects the Lehendakari (President) who forms a government following regular parliamentary procedures. So far all Lehendakaris (even those in 1937 and during the exile) have been members of the Basque Nationalist Party (Eusko Alderdi Jeltzalea) (moderate and Christian-Democrat) since 1978. Despite their continued leadership role, they have not always enjoyed majorities for their party and have needed to form coalitions with either Spain wide parties or left-leaning Basque nationalist parties, often governing in a difficult minority position.^{[citation needed]}

The current government, led by Juan José Ibarretxe (Eusko Alderdi Jeltzalea) is supported also by left-leaning nationalists of Eusko Alkartasuna (Basque Solidarity) and Communist-dominated Ezker Batua (United Left). Both non-regional parties, Partido Socialista de Euskadi (federated to the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) and Partido Popular (People's Party) are again in the opposition as are the radical nationalists of the Basque National Liberation Movement. The radical nationalists ran this time under the umbrella of a new formation that included the Partido Comunista de las Tierras Vascas (Communist Party of the Basque Homelands).

The autonomous community has its own police force (the Ertzaintza), controls the education and health systems, and has a Basque radio/TV station. These and other powers under the Guernica Statute have recently^{[citation needed]} transferred by the Cortes Generales.

[edit] Languages

Basque and Spanish are co-official in all territories of the Community, though in many instances, especially those that depend on the central Spanish Government, like tribunals, it is difficult to carry on bureaucracy or judicial processes in any language other than Spanish.

A 1984 language census showed that of the 2.1 million people in the Autonomous Region, 23 percent could understand Basque, 21 percent could speak it, but only 13 percent could read the language and only 10 percent could write it.^[2]

[edit] Territorial claims

The Statute provides for mechanisms for neighbour Navarre, which also has a Basque ethnic background and is claimed as the core of the nation by Basque nationalists, to join the three western provinces if it wishes to do so. In such a case, the seat of the common administration would be moved to Pamplona.

Poster in a street of Zestoa

The Basque Government used the "Laurak Bat", which included the arms of Navarre, as its symbol for many years. Navarre protested, and tribunals ruled in their favour. The Basque Government replaced it with an empty red field.

Navarre is just one of the territories that the community's nationalist government claim as Basque territory; there are also two enclaves Treviño (Basque: Trebiñu) and Valle de Villaverde (Basque: Villaverde-Turtzioz), which are completely surrounded by Basque territory but belong to the neighbour communities of Castile-Leon and Cantabria respectively.

[edit] Economy

The Basque Autonomous Community is one of the wealthiest regions in the Spanish state, with gross domestic product (GDP) per capita being 20.6% higher than that of the European Union average in 2004, at $30,680 USD.^[3]