Basque president chaired the Board of Trustees meeting

This morning, Basque President Iñigo Urkullu chaired the Etxepare Basque Institute Board of Trustees meeting held at the Office of the President. At the meeting, also attended by Minister for Culture and Language Policy and Spokesperson for the Basque Government Bingen Zupiria, Etxepare Basque Institute Director, Irene Larraza reported on the activities carried out over the past year, and on the main activities slated for the coming months. The health situation arising from COVID-19 has unquestionably marked the last 12 months of Etxepare Basque Institute´s activity.

Following Urkullu’s greeting and presentation of the minutes of the previous meeting, the Director of the Institute presented the annual accounts and management report for 2020 to the members of the Board of Trustees. She also presented the 2021-2024 Strategic Plan and the lines of work being carried out so far this year which will continue in the second half of 2021.

Irene Larraza presented the 2020 annual report to the members of the Board of Trustees, stressing that last year was not an easy year, but that it helped them learn a great deal. "Both the teaching and cultural promotion activities that we weren’t able to do in person because of COVID-19, we either did online, or we delayed them, sticking to our objective: to maintain the activities in the same conditions so that we can see them through in the future," Larraza explained.

The pandemic has affected both the international projection of Basque culture and the area of education, where we have a commitment to offer alternatives to students all over the world who study Basque language and culture. The Etxepare Basque Institute has two teaching networks: one offered through universities in various countries and the Euskara Munduan programme, which offers Basque language classes at the ‘euskal etxea’ Basque centres. Despite the situation caused by COVID-19 and thanks to the Institute’s efforts, the students involved with these two teaching networks have been able to continue their education.

Larraza also informed the members of the Board of Trustees about the new strategic lines of the Institute´s 2021- 2024 roadmap:

• Coordination and collaboration with internationally active government bodies and departments, as well as with cultural institutions and actors in the cultural sector.
• Digital transition
• Qualitative growth
• Cultural diplomacy