Etxepare Basque Institute, new associate member of EUNIC New York cluster

The Etxepare Basque Institute is the new associate member of the EUNIC New York cluster. This designation was unanimously agreed upon by all participants at the April meeting held in New York City, USA. The aim of this new agreement is to consolidate the presence of Basque culture in New York.

EUNIC – the European Union National Institutes for Culture – is the European network of organizations working in 90 countries worldwide through a network of 125 clusters and acting as a platform for promoting European values, sharing knowledge, building capacity amongst its members and partners, and engaging local partners in dialogue and common cultural projects.

In 2015, the Etxepare Basque Institute became a member of the EUNIC Brussels cluster at the committee meeting held by the institution at the Brussels Embassy in Latvia. Together with the Walloon and Flemish institutes, Etxepare became the one of the first cultural institutes in the EUNIC network that does not represent a European state. Others include the British Council, the Goethe Institut, the Alliance Française, and the Instituto Cervantes.

In the framework of the agreement, the Etxepare Basque Institute annually supports the participation of Basque creators in activities such as Transpoesie (international poetry festival), Foire du Livre (book fair) and Fête de la BD (comic strip festival).

EUNIC aims to promote cultural cooperation between European countries and multilateral cultural projects and initiatives. By integrating the Etxepare Basque Institute in the network, it enables the Basque Country to work directly with other EU member states and creates opportunities for collaboration with new Basque stakeholders and creators.

Through collaboration between the US Delegation to the Basque Country and the Etxepare Basque Institute, this new agreement sets out to consolidate the presence of Basque culture in New York beginning next year. The collaboration originated in the spring of 2021, when meetings for this new agreement began. A window on Basque culture was opened at The Theatre at Saint Clement´s on Broadway, with book presentations, concerts and plays. Discussion began at the time on the Etxepare Basque Institute’s participation in EUNIC New York.