The President of the Basque Country positions Euskadi as a key player in European reindustrialisation and strategic autonomy.

• Pradales emphasises the need to act within an “adverse and unstable” global context and defends the Basque strategy of “Defence, Industrial Rootedness, and Growth”.

The President of the Basque Country, Imanol Pradales, accompanied by the Minister for Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, Mikel Jauregi, visited the facilities of the ULMA Group, specifically ULMA Packaging and ULMA Medical Technologies, this morning, where he highlighted the company’s cooperative model as an example of territorial rootedness, competitiveness and innovation within a global context marked by uncertainty.

Following the tour, the President warned that the current international scenario, conditioned by geopolitical tensions, wars and successive crises, is particularly adverse for industrial and export-oriented economies like that of the Basque Country/Euskadi. In this regard, he noted that Europe stands at a crossroads requiring a profound transformation, drawing parallels with historical processes of industrial restructuring, and advocated for the continent to define its role in the world, act with a single voice and strengthen its strategic autonomy.

Pradales underlined that the European tools to meet this challenge are already defined through initiatives such as the ‘Clean Industrial Deal’, the Industrial Acceleration Act and the Innovation Act, and he insisted that “this is the time for action and decisive commitments” Within this framework, he explained that the Basque Country’s strategy is articulated around the “Defence, Industrial Rootedness, and Growth” model, which is aligned with European policies.

This model combines short-term measures aimed at protecting industrial activity through the Industrial Defence Group, with medium- and long-term initiatives designed to drive economic transformation, such as the Industry Plan, the Basque Financial Alliance, the Innovation Lighthouses and the reformulation of the Science, Technology and Innovation Plan.

The President highlighted that the Basque Country possesses the capabilities, conditions and ambition to position itself as a leading territory in European reindustrialisation, contributing simultaneously to improved competitiveness and the generation of new development opportunities.

In this regard, he cited the role that companies like ULMA can play in strategic European projects, such as the European Investment Bank’s plan to promote the construction and renovation of housing through new techniques and materials. As he noted, the industrial knowledge and experience ‘Made in Euskadi’ are key to addressing the great challenges of the future.

Finally, the President reaffirmed Euskadi's commitment to the reindustrialisation process and the strengthening of European strategic sovereignty, insisting that the country will continue to contribute actively through its industrial, technological and innovation capabilities.