In response to the call by those 21 mayors, on February 6 1999, 666 mayors and elected council member from 317 municipalities throughout the whole of the Basque Country met in the Carlos III hall.
Besides denouncing the attempts to manipulate the event that had taken place during previous weeks, the declaration, unanimously passed, considered it was necessary to overcome the division of the Basque Country into three administrations, as up until then this had been an obstacle for comprehensive development in the Basque Country. Overcoming administrative divisions was deemed essential in order to face the challenges of the XXI century. In addition, completely democratic nature of the initiative was highlighted, it being an instance of use of the municipal representatives’ right and will to cooperate.
Once the proposal of the 21 mayors had been unanimously passed, a Permanent Commission was created. It was made up of 10 mayors and reflected the political and territorial diversity of the assembly. The Commission took on the responsibility to create a national institution in the municipal sphere and to develop any previous steps required for such an end.