News

The current manager of the Royal Academy for the Basque Language - or Euskaltzaindia - Juan Jose Zearreta died in a car crash on Saturday aged 62. The accident took place in the municipal area of Muxika on a provincial road leading to Gernika.

Born in Zornotza in 1947, Juan José Zearreta Urigoitialdekozea dedicated much of his life to the promotion of Euskera (the Basque language) as both a spoken and written form. At University in Deusto (Bilbao) he formed part of a group that began giving classes in Basque. He later became member of a commission for developing literacy in Basque and partook in the creation of AEK (an association that continues teaching and promoting the language to this day). He entered the Euskaltzaindia in 1973, though working in the area of economy. Two years later he became an associate member and in 2003 he rose to the position of Manager of the Academy.