Catalan president Salvador Illa and Basque lehendakari Imanol Pradales have pledged to work together to ensure Catalan, Basque and Galician gain official recognition within the European Union.
The two leaders met in Vitoria at the Basque government’s headquarters, Ajuria Enea, where they stressed their commitment to cooperation until linguistic equality ‘becomes a reality’. The discussion also touched on shared challenges including migration management, public sector reform, housing policy and the promotion of the social economy.
Beyond language rights, Illa and Pradales emphasised the importance of continuing collaboration in supercomputing and industrial innovation. Illa also announced that Catalonia will join ASETT, an international think tank on cooperative economies based in the Basque Country.
The meeting comes after an earlier encounter in Barcelona in January, highlighting what both governments describe as ‘an excellent example of the good relations and joint work being built between Catalonia and Euskadi’.
The push for official EU recognition of Spain’s co-official languages has gained momentum in recent years, though it continues to face resistance within the bloc. Illa and Pradales made clear they intend to keep pressing until Europe formally embraces linguistic diversity.
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