26 May is the date chosen to elect the seats of the European Parliament. Stateless nations like ours, it is understood, need to have a say in this parliament, not just because this forum decides many things that concern us in everyday matters, but also because strong allies in Europe are essential to launch a sovereignty process, as the Catalan process has revealed.
The European MPs integrate different political groups. At this moment, the parliament is made up of eight political groups. Among them, only one defends the rights of stateless nations, i.e. the Greens – European Free Alliance (EFA). The parties integrating this group include the Catalans ERC, Galicians BNG, Scottish SNP, Flemish N-VA, Welsh PLAID CYMRU, Corsican PARTITU DI A NAZIONE CORSA, as well as other nationalist parties from stateless nations. The European Free Alliance stands up firmly before European states for self-determination, a people’s main fundamental right, as well as other national rights of stateless peoples.
We consider it very sad the absence of Basque nationalist MEPs at the European Free Alliance in late years. As it happens, the two only Basque nationalist MEPs represented in that Parliament of Brussels, Basque Nationalist Party’s Ms. Izaskun Bilbao and EH Bildu’s Mr. Josu Juaristi, are integrated in other political groups. The Basque Nationalist Party’s MEP integrates the liberal ALDE, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, sharing group side by side with the Spanish nationalists CIUDADANOS and UPyD, while Mr. Juaristi forms part of GUE/NGL, the European United Left-Nordic Green Left, along with IZQUIERDA UNIDA and PODEMOS, namely, the Spanish left. Sad, and very telling.
NAZIOGINTZA believes that a Basque nationalist voter can hardly understand why Basque MEPs, who should work for the purpose of the well-being of all individuals in the Basque Country, hence for national interests, are not operating jointly with Catalan, Scottish, Corsican, Welsh, Galician or Flemish MEPs, despite their being our natural allies, instead of groups represented by CIUDADANOS or PODEMOS.
We therefore especially call the Basque Nationalist Party and EH Bildu to think carefully through this way forward, and integrate their European representatives in the Greens – European Free Alliance during the next term. We fully believe that membership in that parliamentary group guarantees a better defence of the national rights of our People. If Catalans, Scottish and Flemish choose this option, why not us? Or are there, by chance, other hidden interests being privileged above national ones?
