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Lehendakari Pradales: ‘We are aligning our Industrial Plan with European directives, because the Basque Country can and must be a key player in this process’
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- Lehendakari Imanol Pradales has opened the Basque Circular Summit 2025, organised by Ihobe and which will be held at Euskalduna Bilbao from 2 to 4 April
- 1,300 professionals and experts for the environmental and industrial fields from all over Europe will analyse the ramifications that the new European Union planning and legislation will have for Basque industry in areas including the Ecodesign Regulation, the digital product passport, packaging, textiles, construction, critical raw materials, building materials, clean technologies and sustainable finances, to name just a few
- The Summit has three different areas: the FORUM conference zone, the EXPO showcasing circular products and solutions, and the VILLAGE with stands, where the Basque Government will be centre stage along with the Government of Navarra and the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, among over twenty participants
This morning, Lehendakari Imanol Pradales opened the Basque Circular Summit, the largest conference on the circular economy in southern Europe and which is being held at Euskalduna Bilbao from 2 to 4 April; it will consider in detail the ramifications of the new planning, legislation and the recently approved Clean Industrial Deal of the European Commission, with the aim of Basque companies anticipating the global challenges of the circular economy and decarbonisation. The Lehendakari was accompanied at the opening ceremony by the Basque Minister for Industry, the Energy Transition and Sustainability, Mikel Jauregi; its Deputy Minister for the Energy Transition, Irantzu Allende; its Deputy Minister for the Environment, Josu Bilbao; and the Ihobe General Manager, Alexander Boto.
During the opening address, the Lehendakari highlighted the work of all the socio-economic stakeholders of the Basque Country in the transition towards a new circular economy and stressed that “we are aligning our Industrial Plan with European directives, because the Basque Country can and must be a key player in this process. We have got what it takes to do so’.
Lehendakari Imanol Pradales went on to reflect on the compulsive consumption model, based on “extracting, producing, using and disposing”, and stressed that must be a thing of the past. ‘We must replace it by one that reduces the use of raw materials and energy, and generates less waste; which allows for longer product life cycles and helps us to become more competitive. A model that avoids waste, pursues durability, and uses resources efficiently’. ‘In the Basque Country, projects are flourishing that are generating new industrial opportunities’, he concluded.
As the Basque Environmental Outlook Report 2024 reflects, the Basque Country has taken a significant leap in terms of efficiency. Since 2005, material consumption per inhabitant in the Basque Country has fallen by 8 tonnes, a figure that is above the European average. Furthermore, the material productivity index, which measures the ratio between the Gross Domestic Product and Domestic material consumption has risen from 1.49 to 3.79, meaning that the economy has grown using fewer resources.
The Lehendakari was followed William Neale and Ioannis Bakas, representatives of the European Commission and of the European Environment Agency, respectively, who also stressed that the Basque Country is a benchmark in Europe in the circular economy which is progressing well.
The largest conference on the circular economy in southern Europe
The Basque Circular Summit 2025 is the result of the commitment to the circular economy and is one of the main tools to bolster the leadership of the Basque Country. This year’s summit – with the tagline ‘Time for Action’ – has got underway with a programme that addresses the main challenges and opportunities of the circular economy.
Over 150 speakers, representatives of the European Commission, trailblazing business leaders in circularity and other leading experts in the field of sustainability will also be at the Summit, where, over three days, they will share experiences and ideas to build a more sustainable future for the economy.
One of them is Mónica Chao, an expert in strategic sustainability, business transformation and ESG leadership in Spain and a founding partner and director of Acativa Partners; she praised the Basque Country’s work in the field of circularly and the impetus to new sustainable business models.
‘Europe needs an industrial transformation that drives competitiveness through sustainability and the Basque Country has been working in that line for years now. Committing to decarbonisation, innovation and the circular economy is – with the new Clean Industrial Deal – a strategic opportunity to bolster our industrial autonomy and create quality jobs in a resilient and predictable legal environment’, Chao stressed.
Three conferences in one and over 1,300 delegates
The Basque Circular FORUM – the conference area – will analyse the ramifications that the new planning and legislation of the European Union will have on the Basque industrial fabric with many side events and sessions. The issues considered will include the ecodesign regulation, the digital product passport, packaging, textiles, construction, environmental assessment tools, circular business models, critical raw materials, construction materials, clean technologies, European taxonomy and sustainable finances, to name a few.
However, the Basque Circular Summit 2025 is more than a conference area; it also has the Basque Circular EXPO, where a hundred or so companies will exhibit over 150 circular solutions and products, making it the best showcase to learn about the large number of large companies and SMEs of the Basque Country that are committing to products that are both sustainable and competitive.
The Summit also boasts the Basque Circular VILLAGE, a space with stands and for networking where over a score of stakeholders and entities that are driving the Basque transition towards circularity will showcase their activity and projects to the conference delegates. The Basque Government will be present with a stand displaying several initiatives that are driving the circular economy in the Basque Country, such as the Basque Ecodesign Center, Basque Circular SME, Basque Circular Hub and the 2025 Grant Plan for Industry. Along with the Basque Government, the spotlight will be on the Government of Navarra and the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, among the more than twenty participants.
