The HEHZI, LANEAN, and TRANSFERMUGI projects (coordinated by the Euroregion) and MUGAZIKLO, SAREBIDE, and EUSGUNEAK have been selected in the first call for proposals for the Western Functional Area (AFOMEF), the new functional area identified within the POCTEFA 2021-2027 program.

HEHZI, Promotion of Multilingualism in the Cross-Border Area, seeks to promote multilingualism in the teaching of local languages ​​in the cross-border area, reducing language barriers between territories on both sides of the border. Through collaboration between public administrations, universities, and organizations, HEZHI will improve access to multilingual education, promote educational models, train teachers, and encourage mobility programs. It will also develop a digital platform to coordinate school and extracurricular exchanges.

“The UPV collaborators who will be participating in HEZHI are very excited about the project. We want to leverage the experience we have accumulated in research into plurilingual education focused on Basque to better understand the realities of the different plurilingual schools in Iparralde and Hego Euskal Herria. We have a truly exciting challenge at hand, and we will try to identify, analyze, and share successful experiences and practices among educational stakeholders in Iparralde and Hego Euskal Herria. To this end, we will seek to promote collaboration and cooperation between public institutions, universities, and educational centers.”

Ibon Manterola, Principal Investigator of the HEHZI project

The AFOMEF call for proposals was made possible through Policy Objective 5 “Towards a Europe closer to its citizens,” which strengthens the territorialization of ERDF funds.

AFOMEF: Western Functional Area

The Western Functional Area (AFOMEF) is one of the five functional areas identified by the 2021-2027 POCTEFA program, the Interreg VI-A Spain-France-Andorra Territorial Cooperation Program, which offers greater territorialization of ERDF funds.

It is located around the meeting point between the Pyrenees and the Bay of Biscay, and integrates the territories of the Basque Country, Navarre, and the south of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region up to the Baretous Valley.

The Western Functional Area underlines its distinction through close human, cultural, linguistic, and social interconnections, with Basque as its common language. Its integrated territorial strategy, developed in a participatory manner, establishes a shared roadmap that aims to respond to everyday challenges and improve the quality of life of those residing within the Western Functional Area.