The second edition of the summit “Leaders Meeting – Fit For The Future” concludes with the signing of the ‘Bilbao Declaration’, focused on a political and strategic positioning regarding industrial competitiveness, innovation and strategic technologies. The 14 participating industrial territories are claiming their central role in key strategic value chains — from clean and digital technologies to biotechnology and life sciences. (Autor: Mireia Ochoa)
The President of the Basque Government Imanol Pradales has closed the second edition of “Leaders Meeting – Fit For The Future” in an act that has culminated with the signing of the ‘Bilbao Declaration 2026’; a document that constitutes a political and strategic positioning of the 14 industrial territories present in the forum and in which common commitments are collected in matters of industrial competitiveness, innovation and strategic technologies.
The 14 territories were: Flanders, Wallonia, Hauts-de-France, Grand Est, Navarre, Upper Austria, Catalonia, Lombardy, Saxony, Baden-Württemberg, West Pomerania, Emilia-Romagna and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Among others, the representatives were the following: Matthias Diependaele (Minister-President) representing Flanders, Mikel Irujo (Minister of Industry) representing Navarre, and Raffaele Cattaneo (Deputy Secretary of the Presidency) representing Lombardy.
In a context marked by technological acceleration, geopolitical tensions, and profound social changes, the Bilbao Declaration underscores the need to strengthen Europe’s capacity to generate sustainable prosperity, industrial competitiveness, and strategic autonomy. “Sub-state territories and entities must have their own voice and the capacity to participate in the decisions, investments, and governance of Europe’s resurgence,” argued Imanol Pradales.
In this regard, the signed text reflects this political will and ambition and points to the need for a thorough review of the European Union’s institutional functioning. “We have decided to act together to address the uncertainty with a concrete roadmap. We are taking a step to strengthen European sovereignty through clusters in three strategic areas: Clean Technologies, Artificial and Quantum Intelligence, and Health and Biotechnology,” Pradales emphasized.
Furthermore, public-private collaboration is consolidated as a strategic element of transformation in the three key sectors addressed through the clusters participating in the initiative: Clean Technologies, digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, and Biosciences.
Overall, the Bilbao Declaration articulates a shared vision based on four interdependent principles:
- Multilevel governance as a strategic imperative: Europe’s transformative capacity depends on effective cooperation between the European, national, and regional levels. Regions must be recognized as strategic partners in policy design and implementation, and therefore a substantive application of the principle of subsidiarity is required, moving beyond uniform approaches and acknowledging territorial diversity.
- Competitiveness, industrial leadership and resilience of value chains: Industrial policy must promote research, innovation and collaboration throughout the entire value chain, consolidating European leadership in strategic areas such as clean technologies, digitalization, semiconductors, microelectronics and biotechnology.
- Innovation, knowledge, and skills for an inclusive society: European scientific excellence must translate into global competitiveness. The Declaration calls for increased investment in R&D&I, scientific, digital, and technological infrastructure, as well as improved access to private funding.
- Sustainability and green transition: The Declaration reaffirms the commitment to clean energy, the circular economy and sustainable mobility, stressing that sustainability, competitiveness and inclusion must advance together.
A Call to European Action: The Declaration points out that the coming years will be crucial in turning European ambitions into tangible results. In this regard, it calls for the next Multiannual Financial Framework beyond 2027 to fully recognize the role of regions as strategic partners in the European industrial and innovation agenda.
Finally, the President of the Basque Government pledged that the agreements reached in the ‘Bilbao Declaration’ would be implemented as soon as possible. “We have a great responsibility: to strengthen the industrial base, to strengthen democracy, and to strengthen Europe. We are essential for European policies to succeed and have a real impact, not only in their implementation but also in their design and evaluation,” he concluded.
