Imanol Pradales: "We have brought the voice of the Basque Country into the discussion on the new European funding framework.”

• President Imanol Pradales has met with Rafaelle Fitto, Commissioner and Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms of the European Commission, to advocate for significant economic investments in industrial nations and regions like the Basque Country, emphasising the importance of these commitments for a European industrial renaissance.
• Tomorrow, he will meet with the President of the European Council, António Costa, to discuss topics related to the Atlantic macro-region, cohesion funds, and the official status of the Basque language within European institutions, among other issues.

The President participated today in Brussels in the open debate on the design of the new financing framework for cohesion fund policies that directly impact the region. Not only in terms of the amount, but also in terms of having the ability to decide on the allocation of these funds, which, according to Imanol Pradales, should be used to strengthen Basque industry, enabling the Basque Country to become a "key" player in the European Union's industrial rebirth.

The President has travelled to the capital of the European institutions for the second time since Ursula Von der Leyen's re-election in July 2024 as President of the European Commission for the next five years. He is scheduled to meet tomorrow with the President of the European Council, António Costa, who has held the position since December 1 of last year.

"We are at a critical moment in defining Europe's strategy in response to the upheaval in the global order, where Europe must redesign its own survival. That is why it was important to be here when issues directly affecting us in terms of economic and social development are being discussed. We have emphasised that stateless nations and regions across Europe should have the ability to negotiate the design of these new funds. Euskadi has begun its negotiations today," assured Pradales.

The President argues that the presence of the Basque Country is more essential than ever in the forums and round tables where decisions are made on issues that directly affect it. "Now is the time to design the new European funding framework, and we have come to negotiate," emphasised Pradales. This is what he conveyed to Rafaelle Fitto, Commissioner and Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms of the European Commission, with whom he discussed the central role that regions and stateless nations must continue to play in the context of Europe's industrial revival.

A strategic meeting for Pradales, as the President emphasised that the cohesion funds are not only important due to their amount, but also because of their direction—specifically, how they are to be used or invested. "And our 'for what' is to strengthen Basque industry and become a key player in the European industrial renaissance," he stressed.

In the President's view, it is time to work towards preventing the EU from remaining a 'club of member states' and to capitalise on the competitive advantage that regions and stateless nations offer through their specialisation strategies. Pradales reminded us that they possess the powers to drive the necessary reforms for issues such as the decarbonisation of industries, digital transformation, and social transition.

“Less centralisation and more co-decision making so that we can implement transformative public policies that address the priorities we define in each region. As Enrico Letta concludes in his report, we need a fairer and more efficient distribution of power, both politically and economically," he insisted.

These were the reflections of Imanol Pradales after the two meetings held today with Fitto and with the Vice-President of the European Parliament, MEP Martín Hojsík, during which the President of the Basque Country analysed the progress of the work of the group advocating for the use of the Basque language in the European Parliament.

Tomorrow, at 9.30 a.m., the President of the Basque Country will meet with the President of the Council of the European Union, António Costa. A high-level meeting, the first of its kind since 2013, where topics such as the Atlantic macro-region, cohesion funds, and the official status of the Basque language in European institutions, among others, will be discussed.