ECMI strengthens its presence in the Basque Country

The Basque Country has always been of particular interest to ECMI. In 2022 we arranged a summer school in cooperation with the University of the Basque Country (Spanish and Basque abbreviations UPV/EHU), and our colleagues maintain close contact with local researchers. In June, ECMI Researchers Sergiusz Bober and Craig Willies travelled again to the Basque Country. Their goal was to refresh their connection with partner institutions and establish contact with new key players in the region.

Their trip started with a visit to the UNESCO Chair of World Linguistic Heritage at the University of the Basque Country’s campus in Vitoria-Gasteiz on Wednesday, 14^th June. They presented an overview of the ECMI and the work of their Politics and Civil Society Cluster and exchanged ideas with Chair Coordinator Prof. Ines Garcia-Azkoaga and colleagues on areas for potential future cooperation.

Thursday, 15^th June saw Sergiusz and Craig head to the Leioa campus of UPV/EHU for a guest lecture at the Journalism Department, facilitated by long-term ECMI collaborator Dr. Miren Manias. Focusing on the medium of printed press, the two presented a lecture titled ‘Examining the minority language newspapers in the Danish/German border region: The role of the community in the decision-making towards further digitalisation’.

The researchers moved to Donostia/San Sebastian on Friday, 16^th June, presenting the ECMI and their research on minority language media to the General Assembly of the European Association of Daily Newspapers in Minority and Regional Languages (MIDAS). This year’s GA was hosted by the Basque newspaper Berria, coinciding with their 20th-anniversary celebrations, which the two were invited to attend on Saturday 17^th. The organisation is of acute interest to the pair’s research, as demonstrated by their forthcoming chapter in the 20^th volume of the European Yearbook of Minority Issues, titled ‘The Digitalization of Minority Language Newspapers: Between Long-Term Trend and Pandemic-Induced Adaptation’.