Declaration promoted by XX municipal elect at the occasion of the Municipalities Assembly from Lizarra’s 75th birthday: Euskal Herria is one of the Europe’s oldest people and it has the right to recuperate its sovereignty. We want to exercise this right to determinate what sort of relations we want to maintain with the next peoples and to define our own institutional configuration.

Our actual statute of nation without state doesn’t obey to an Euskal Herria’s citizenship democratic decision. This people, like a lot of others Europeans nations, has initiated its own political and institutional development in the Middle-Ages until the progressive interruption in the XIII, XVI, XVII and XVIIIth centuries by the foreign powers which used the force. The consequence of it is that we, Basques, weren’t able to count with a contemporary state in the XIXth century and in the XXth and XXIst we knock against a veto to belong to the European Union.

Numerous were the attempts during the last two centuries in order that the states French and Spanish recognize institutionally Euskal Herria: in 1795,1808, 1838, 1872-76, 1883, 1884-91, 1913-18, 1931, 1940, 1967, 1976, 1999, including the process which was initiated lately and which follows the same objective.

The municipal elect played a pioneer role in numerous of these initiatives. This municipal implication’s proof is the 75th birthday of the Lizarra’s municipalities’ assembly, the 30th birthday of the assembly convoked in Bergara by the mayors’ movement or the initiative which takes place now in Lapurdi, Nafarroa Beherea and Zuberoa.

It made 75 years, the 14th of June 1931, the municipal elect from the 427 Araba’s, Gipuzkoa’s, Bizkaia’s et Nafarroa Garaia’s towns approved the Statute General from the Basque State known too like the Estella’s statute. This is the statute which gave the state’s nature to the territories confederation within the Federal Republic of Spain, giving the recognition political and institutional explicit to Euskal Herria. On the other hand, in July, this document instituted for the first time the Euskera’s officialization in the fourth territories.

Notwithstanding, an initiative for the Euskal Herria’s political recognition’s favour impulse by the municipal elect isn’t an element from the past. Today, there is a signatures’ collect promoted by the mayors from Lapurdi, Nafarroa Beherea and Zuberoa to be able to realize a popular consultation to finish with the situation generated by the political elimination of the Navarre, 200 years ago, and to obtain the recognition of the Euskal Herria’s territoriality and the political existence in the French state.

75 years have passed between the two claiming but we can verify the same will from the municipal elect protagonists. Today when we are at a political process’s initiative which can bring us to the conflict’s political resolution we’re suffering, it appears as pertinent to remind us each attempt to arrive at our country’s political and institutional recognition. But through these facts’ memory, we don’t look at the past without the present and the future. Numerous European peoples-the last, the Montenegro- have followed this way with success and we hope that the process initiated in Euskal Herria permit to attain the same objective.

We want to confirm our agreement with the process started. More, we think to encounter the defies tied at this process, we have to reorganize and to reinforce Udalbiltza, to transform it in the tie between all the Euskal Herria municipal elect. We know that this process won’t be a way short and easy but for it, we depend on the hundred municipal elect’ determination.
To arrive at this objective the principles fixed during the Udalbiltza’s constituent assembly, the 18th of September 1999, are fully in force:
1-To affirm the Euskal Herria’s existence like nation
2-To help at the Euskal Herria’s political structuration giving evidences of this territoriality with the pretension to include in a common frame the municipal elect from the six Basque territories.
3- To impulse the Euskal Herria’s National construction, listened as dynamic and democratic process and fed by the all Basque citizens’ free participation.
4-To advance in the process of constructive interrelation between the all territories’ municipalities, permitting a concerted action from the municipal elect in domains like the language, the culture, the sport, the environment, the territorial organisation, the economic development, the social well-being…
5-To project in an international level the Euskal Herria’s existence like own nation and differentiated and its will to act like this in the future European configuration and in these institutions.

We’re not start from scratch. It made a long time that we extend contacts and in point of fact, we valorise as a first positive step in this direction the multitude of institutional actions which celebrate the Aberri Eguna.

We wish this act constitutes another simple reference in the Udalbiltza’s development. We want to continue in the way of those who’ve approved the Statute of Lizarra. We show a public engagement to reorganize Udalbiltza and to attain this objective, we announce the putting on a permanent contact’s dynamic with the rest of the municipal elect like a process for the beginning of an adhesions’ collect at this document.

Signers:
ARABA
Amaia Axpe Axpe, Aramaio
Txetxu Urtaran Kintana, Kuartango
Ana Nogueira Murua, Legutiano
Iban Martinez de Osaba Arregi, Asparrena
Iñaki Olalde Arana, Agurain
Rufino Santocildes Orue, Urkabustaiz
Pablo Gorostiaga Gonzalez, Laudio
Jon Basterra Fernandez, Kanpezu
Juan Jose Bartolome Treceño, Amurrio

BIZKAIA
Igor Meñika, Arantzazu
Pili Askorbebeitia, Getxo
Rodolfo Bakeriza, Berriatua
Kepa Camino, Galdames
Andoni Garai, Dima
Maribi Ugarteburu, Amoroto
Dabi Alonso, Bilbo
Zigor Txopitea, Lekeitio
Jon Bollar, Aulesti
Xefe Ziarrusta, Dima
Guillermo Bio, Sopela
Loren Arkotxa, Ondarroa
Aritz Otxandiano, Otxandio

GIPUZKOA
Arantxa Aburuza Alkorta, Aduna
Igor Elorza, Zerain
Olatz Amondarain, Alegia
Maixabel Arrieta Galarraga, Amasa-Villabona
Asier Mujika Otegi, Arama
Xabier Iturrioz Oiarbide, Itsasondo
Amaia Iztueta Mendizabal, Ordizia
Luis Mari Telleria Lezeta, Segura
Jokin Zubeldia Aranburu, Zaldibia
Nerea Goikoetxea Aizpurua, Zestoa
Juan Manuel Erasun Eizmendi, Zizurkil
Peio Gaskon, Irun
Xabier Iragorri, Oiartzun
Josetxo Ibazeta, Donostia
Juan Karlos Alduntzin, Pasaia
Eli Laburu, Astigarraga
Eneritz Gurrutxaga, Errenteria-Orereta
Zigor Iriondo, Lasarte
Mikel Mitxelena, Lezo
Arantza Manterola, Usurbil
Xabier Zubizarreta, Arrasate
Izaskun Txintxurreta, Hernani
Miren Legorburu, Hondarribia

LAPURDI
Ixabel Etxeberria, Urruña
Beñat Bidegain, Mendiondo
Pierre Haira, Uztaritze
Ottabi Irigoyen, Bidarte
Andre Nemery, Senpere
Battitte Ameztoi, Uztaritze
Ramuntxo Mintegi, Ziburu
Xabi Larralde, Baiona
Beñat Elizondo, Urruña
Serge Harisgain, Senpere
Dominique Duhalde, Lekuine
Noelle Daguerre, Uztaritze
Nicole Harriague, Lekorne

NAFARROA BEHEREA
Estitxu Zabarotz, Aldude
Luxi Oxandabaratz, Gamarte
Mizel Alibert, Uharte-Hiri
Maider Irigoien, Ibarla

NAFARROA GARAIA
Idoia Elarre Elizondo, Espartza
Bittor Leal, Lizarra
Jesus Mendieta, Arbizu
Jose Migel Azpiroz, Larraun
Isabel Antxo, Iriberri
Imanol Perotxena, Anue
Alejandro Belzunze, Garralda
Anselmo Fernandez, Deierri
Benito Alberro, Basaburua
Karlos Indurain, Tafalla
Alberto Erdozain, Orbaitzeta
Kike Paskual Juanto, Itzaltzu
Enrike Miranda, Zizur Zendea
Juan Bautista Mariñarena, Etxarri-Aranatz
Bittor Etxeberria, Oteitza
Jabier Anda, Bakaiku

ZUBEROA
Ruben Gomez, Liginaga-Aztue