Spain calls on EU to strengthen support for biotechnology, entrepreneurship and green industries

Informal meeting of Competitiveness Ministers. Family photo

Jordi Hereu argued at the informal meeting of Competitiveness Ministers in Copenhagen that Europe should put biotechnology, entrepreneurship and green industries at the heart of its industrial strategy.

Hereu highlighted the key role of biotechnology in tackling challenges such as climate change, the development of new vaccines and therapies, and the strengthening of drug supply chains. He therefore proposed supporting innovative SMEs in the sector, simplifying regulation without compromising safety, expanding the EU's bioproduction capacity and enhancing intellectual property protection.

He also called for a flexible European investment plan and for accelerated market access with a specific legal framework for biotechnology. He gave the Spanish PROFARMA programmeas an example, highlighting it as a model for the whole of Europe.

In terms of entrepreneurship, the Minister for Industry defended 'regulatory test environments' as a tool for Europe to adapt its legislation to the pace of innovation. He proposed creating a common European framework for test environments, identifying which regulatory aspects can be tested safely, and allowing temporary exemptions in R&D and production. Finally, he stressed that unlocking Europe's innovative potential depends on overcoming the current fragmentation, fostering collaboration between universities and industry and better alignment of public support.

In the plenary session, Jordi Hereu called for a strengthened European response to the structural challenges facing the cleantech industry. Hereu stressed that while initiatives such as the Net-Zero Industry Act are positive, "speeding up permits or subsidising initial investments is not enough: we need to act on operating costs and ensure fair competition against imports that do not meet European standards".

In this regard, Spain proposes boosting domestic demand with sustainability criteria and European content in auctions and public procurement, strengthening key infrastructures such as electricity grids and interconnections, combating unfair competition and guaranteeing the effective application of regulations, intensifying EU-industry collaboration through a European strategy with the participation of the sector, and making public support conditional on sustainable and safe production in the EU.

Finally, the urgency of creating an enabling environment for industrial investment, ensuring the availability of raw materials and strengthening the resilience of value chains was underlined. "Europe has the opportunity to lead in green industrial capacity. We must not waste it," the minister concluded.

Non official translation.