The Basque National Party
Basque patriotism emerged in answerto the dramatic changes imposed by the centralist ideas that nourished the French Revolution on the Basques constitutional and decentralized organizations.
The Basque National Party (EAJ-PNV) was created in 1895, prohibited during half of
its existence, is the governing party in our Country for the last 28 years and the main
political association of the Basque Country.
The (EAJ-PNV) as a profoundly pro-European party that has always supported the formation of a political united Europe from the very beginnings of the process.
We advocate for a strongly structured Federal Europe built from the respect of the principle of subsidiarity. In this sense we reaffirm the nature of our People as a Nation with its own political space corresponding to it in the framework of this new Europe.
In ideological terms we occupy the center public space, a progressive Christian
democratic oriented Party with a marked social dimension. In 1911 the Party created a trade unions organization which is nowadays the most important labor association in the Basque Country. In 1947 the party was cofounder of the Christian Democracy political movement in Europe. The adulteration of some principles of this group led us to conceive, along others, the European Democratic Party and the integration in the Liberals and Democrats group at the European Parliament.
Think Gaur a process of reflection to design the Euskadi of the future
Iñigo Urkullu Renteria, Chairman of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), is leading a process of reflection under the name “Think Gaur Euskadi 2020” (think today about the Basque Country in 2020). PNV is the party that receives most votes in the Basque Country, and leads the main autonomous institutions (Basque government, Bilbao City Hall, etc).
The objective of “Think Gaur Euskadi 2020” is to draw up a proposal for the Euskadi of the future. A social contract based on a vision of a globalised world.
Sustainability, culture, social policies, innovation and the constitutional time-frame are the five areas in which multidisciplinary teams are to work until the end of 2008. Seminars, workshops, meetings, studies and fact-finding trips in search of best practices from around the world are being organised for the coming months. To analyse cutting-edge experiences around the world, delegations from “Think Gaur”, headed by Iñigo Urkullu, are to visit Scandinavia, Singapore, the USA, India, Switzerland, London, Chile and Paris.
The Basque Nationalist Party is working in co-operation with Fundación Sabino Arana, the sociological studies firm Ikerfel, the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies and prestigious consultants and experts at home and abroad.
Following this process of reflection and analysis, in December 2008 the Basque Nationalist Party will present a catalogue of short and medium-term undertakings aimed at improving the position of the Basque Country in the globalised world order.
