Pedro Sánchez stresses that the new Grifols plant in Lliçà de Vall (Barcelona) will strengthen Europe's strategic autonomy

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, together with the Minister for Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, and other authorities and executives of Grifols, during the tour of the exhibition tent about the company's new Grifols plant (Pool Moncloa / Fernando Calvo)

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has presided over the ceremony to lay the first stone of the Grifols plant in Lliçà de Vall (Barcelona), with an investment of 160 million euros and the creation of 400 direct jobs and more than 1,000 indirect jobs. The head of the Executive stressed that this plant will contribute to strengthening Europe's open strategic autonomy.

He made these remarks during his speech at the ceremony, which was also attended by the Minister for Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu; the Catalan Minister for Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat; the Spanish Government Delegate in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto; the Mayor of Lliçà de Vall, Xavier Castillejo, and the Vice-President and Director of Grifols, Raimon Grifols. "In just over a century, this family business has become a leading multinational in plasma-derived medicines, thanks to a firm commitment to growth in Spain and beyond and its bold internationalisation strategy", highlighted Pedro Sánchez, who emphasised that the future plant represents a "qualitative leap" for Grifols in biomedicine, as it will feature cutting-edge technology, including robotic systems, artificial intelligence and clean technologies.

The project will be "a real boost for the economy of Lliçà de Vall and the Vallès Oriental region", as it will also "contribute to strengthening the open strategic autonomy of Europe in three areas: healthcare, industry and technology", emphasised Pedro Sánchez, who remarked that the pharmaceutical sector is "very competitive", "generates quality employment, with high salaries, diversity, equality and integration" and contributes around 1.9% of Spanish GDP, as well as being "highly internationalised", with 80% of its production being exported.

In this context, the President of the Government of Spain stressed that Catalonia is the second-largest pharmaceutical ecosystem in Europe in terms of employment, with nearly 90,000 jobs, ahead of Frankfurt and Lombardy, and that the sector contributes €7.8 billion to Catalonia's GDP. The head of the Executive assured that "Spain and the government will continue to support this fundamental sector", with the new 'Deep Tech' strategy, the Spain Grows fund and the final processing of the Draft Law on Medicines. All this, he said, within the framework of "ambitious joint public-private governance", which is reflected in the Pharmaceutical Industry Strategy. "Together, between the public and private sectors, we will continue to invest in the future of an industry as important to Catalonia as it is to Spain, namely the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry", he affirmed.

Non official translation