Overview

• The Supreme Court annulled nine specific provisions of decree 179/2019 that had mandated euskera-first internal documents and procedures in Basque local councils.
• The court concluded that privileging Basque over Spanish breached the constitutional principle of co-officiality and that language choice belongs to individuals, not the administration.
• Only article 12 remains in force, designating Basque as a normal and general service and working language without imposing exclusivity.
• The decision largely affirms a September 2023 TSJPV verdict and brings finality to litigation initiated by Vox and later joined by the Basque government’s appeal.
• Local councils must now provide fully bilingual services and issue official communications in both Basque and Spanish without unilaterally favoring one language.