The Minister for Business and Labour, Roger Torrent i Ramió, participated in the first general assembly of the European Semiconductor Regions Alliance (ESRA) in Dresden, Germany, last Wednesday. This was the first meeting of this initiative, which was launched in Brussels last September, and it was attended by representatives of the 32 regions that are members of this alliance, of which Catalonia is one of the 13 founder members. The Director General for Industry, Oriol Alcoba i Malaspina, also joined the Catalan delegation for the institutional visit.

Minister Torrent emphasised that the European Semiconductor Regions Alliance “is crucial for collaborating and enhancing the chip value chain, a cornerstone for European industry.” Torrent pointed out that, “in Catalonia, we are working to increase the importance of this sector, in terms of both semiconductor design and production.” And he stressed that in order to achieve this goal “we need a national strategy, and to establish ties with the European institutions who are working in the same direction.”

The Minister for Business and Labour led the Catalan delegation at this first ESRA general assembly which took place in the city of Dresden, the capital of Saxony, one of Europe's leading regions in the semiconductors field. As the host of the meeting, Saxony began the day with the presentation of its semiconductor ecosystem. The assembly also discussed and approved a position paper on the situation of semiconductors in Europe and the next steps to be taken by ESRA. Indeed, ESRA's main mission is to place regions at the centre of European policies to boost the chip industry.

On behalf of the Catalan delegation, the Director General for Industry presented to those attending the assembly Catalonia's experience as a successful case in the design and implementation of public policies to promote the semiconductor ecosystem. In fact, Catalonia was one of only five regions invited to present their case, as well as Bavaria (Germany), Piedmont (Italy), Skåne(Sweden) and South Moravia (the Czech Republic).

This alliance currently includes 32 European regions. Apart from Catalonia, it also includes regions in Spain, France, Germany, Austria, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Italy, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Ireland and Wales.

The semiconductor ecosystem in Catalonia

Catalonia is currently one of Europe's most dynamic regions in terms of semiconductors. The Semiconductor and Chip Alliance of Catalonia, made up of more than 50 companies and institutions, was launched on 21 May.

According to figures from the Government of Catalonia included in the report Semiconductors in Catalonia, this ecosystem now has 260 members, including companies, institutions, technology centres and research institutes. Taken together, all these agents generate a turnover of 302 million euros and 4,600 jobs. Furthermore, Catalonia is also the third-ranked region in the European Union for attracting foreign investment in technology projects in this field since the announcement of the European Chips Act in 2022.