Imanol Pradales: "The capabilities of industrial regions, territories and nations like ours are essential to ensure the survival of the European project"
- The Lehendakari inaugurates the second edition of the 'Leaders Meeting – Fit for the Future' summit at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao
- The meeting brings together political and economic representatives from the main European industrial territories with the aim of strengthening inter-regional cooperation and advancing Europe's strategic autonomy
The Lehendakari, Imanol Pradales, inaugurated this afternoon, together with the Minister-President of Flanders, Matthias Diependaele, the second edition of the 'Leaders Meeting – Fit for the Future' European industrial summit, which is being held today and tomorrow in Bilbao. "We live in a decisive moment. The future of Europe is at stake. The capabilities of regions, territories and industrial nations like ours are essential to ensure the survival of the European project in an unstable and uncertain world", stressed the Lehendakari at the opening ceremony that took place at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
The inaugural session brought together more than a hundred political and economic representatives from the 14 participating industrial territories and was attended by the Secretary General for External Action and a Global Basque Country, Ander Caballero, and the Regional Minister for Science, Universities and Innovation, Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias
In the words of the Lehendakari, "to talk about European reindustrialisation is to talk about the future of our welfare and that of our sons and daughters. It's talking about our employment engine and quality of life". Pradales therefore defended the need to strengthen cooperation in order to "underpin Europe's competitiveness, innovation and technological autonomy", the main objective of the Leaders Meeting – Fit for the Future summit.
Tomorrow, Tuesday 10, the Euskalduna Conference Centre will host the central economic and political forum and the specific meeting of the private sector, which will bring together around 40 clusters in three strategic technological areas such as clean technologies, digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum and biosciences.
The day will culminate with the signing of the 'Bilbao 2026 Declaration' which will reaffirm the commitment of the signatory territories, regions and industrial nations to a more competitive, innovative, sustainable and cohesive Europe.
