Catalonia participates at the first General Assembly of the European Semiconductor Regions Alliance in Germany

The Minister of Business and Labour, Roger Torrent, participated this Wednesday in the first General Assembly of the European Semiconductor Regions Alliance (ESRA) in Dresden (Germany).

This initiative, launched in Brussels last September, brought together representatives of the 31 regions that currently make up this alliance for the first time, of which Catalonia is one of the 13 promoters. The Catalan delegation also included the General Director of Industry, Oriol Alcoba.

“An industrial and innovative economy such as Catalonia's must participate actively in this initiative to contribute to making Europe a world leader in the semiconductor sector”

Roger Torrent, Minister of Business and Labour of Catalonia

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According to Mr. Torrent, "An industrial and innovative economy such as Catalonia's must participate actively in this initiative to contribute to making Europe a world leader in the semiconductor sector". According to the Minister of Business and Labour, "this alliance is a paradigmatic example of cooperation between European citizens to focus the potential of each towards a common goal". In this sense, he added, "Industrialization has been at the heart of this government's policies as the main way to enjoy prosperous and sustainable growth; participating in the Alliance of European Semiconductor Regions to promote greater technological sovereignty on the continent is a logical and essential step in this direction".

Specifically, the Minister of Business and Labour led the Catalan delegation to this first ESRA General Assembly, held in Dresden, capital of Saxony, one of the most important European regions in the field of semiconductors. As host of the meeting, Saxony opened the day with a presentation of its semiconductor ecosystem. The meeting also allowed for the discussion and adoption of a "Position Paper" on the situation of semiconductors in Europe and the following steps to be taken by the Alliance of European Regions.

In this sense, the Catalan delegation explained to the Assembly participants the Catalan experience as a success story in designing and implementing public policies to promote the semiconductor ecosystem. Catalonia was one of only five regions invited to present its case, along with Bavaria (Germany), Piedmont (Italy), Skåne (Sweden) and South Moravia (Czech Republic).

This alliance currently brings together 31 regions of the continent. In addition to Catalonia, it includes the Valencian Community, the Basque Country, Andalusia and Madrid; Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (France); Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia (Germany); Carinthia and Styria (Austria); Centre and North (Portugal); Overijssel & Gelderland, Flevoland and North Brabant (Netherlands); Flanders (Belgium); Helsinki and Tampere (Finland); Piedmont (Italy); Skåne (Sweden); South Moravia (Czech Republic); Ireland and Wales.

The Semiconductor Ecosystem in Catalonia

Catalonia is already one of the most dynamic semiconductor regions in the continent. Last May 21, the Semiconductor and Chip Alliance of Catalonia, comprised of more than 50 companies and organizations, was presented in society.

According to ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment data in the report Semiconductors in Catalonia, 260 agents are already part of this ecosystem between companies, organizations, technology centers, and research institutes. Together, these agents generate a turnover of 302 million euros and 4,600 jobs. Moreover, Catalonia is the third region of the European Union that has attracted the most foreign investment projects in this field since the announcement of the European Chips Act in 2022.