The Minister of Industry, Energy and Mines of the Andalusian Government, Jorge Paradela, has discussed for two days with various European entities and community representatives in Brussels the decarbonization challenges facing the Andalusian industry, Andalusia’s role as a key player in the supply of critical raw materials, and the mechanisms for the Andalusian industrial sector to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the increase in security and defense budgets and the associated increase in domestic industrial production.
The Minister’s agenda in Brussels began with a meeting with the Director of the European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and the Environment of the European Commission (CINEA), Paloma Aba, the body responsible for managing European programs related to climate action, decarbonization, and energy transition. «We have discussed the Innovation Fund and hydrogen auctions, along with the Connecting Europe Mechanism, a fund that finances investments in transport, energy infrastructures, and digital projects to advance greater connectivity between EU states.» In this regard, the Minister has highlighted the importance of his mission, «supporting interconnection infrastructures like H2Med, the major green hydrogen corridor that will connect the Iberian Peninsula with Europe, as well as part of the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley for its export component, and also the hydrogen backbone network that will include the future branch to Algeciras.»
Jorge Paradela also met with Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, CEO of Hydrogen Europe, a European association of which the Andalusian Government is a member through the Andalusian Energy Agency. In this meeting, they discussed the situation of renewable hydrogen projects and the industrial ecosystem around this energy vector, both emphasizing «the necessary development of an energy storage strategy across EU countries,» as well as the importance of having a European Decarbonization Bank similar to the current European Hydrogen Bank.
Jorge Paradela and the CEO of Solar Power Europe, Walburga Hemetsberger, after a working meeting in Brussels.
Storage and its development were also key topics discussed during the Minister’s meeting with the CEO of Solar Power Europe, Walburga Hemetsberger. They both agreed on the maturity of this technology and the need to enhance system flexibility. Andalusia has shared its experience, as the increase in electricity generation capacity in the region is based on renewable energies, especially photovoltaic. They also analyzed the currently open consultation on network infrastructures, a regulation to which the Andalusian Government will contribute with its inputs. «In this infrastructure package, which must be as ambitious as possible because Europe needs to invest more in electricity transmission and distribution networks, Andalusia has a lot to say.»
The Minister of Industry, Energy and Mines, accompanied by the Vice Minister, Cristóbal Sánchez, and the Andalusian Government delegate in Brussels, Catalina de Miguel, discussed with officials from the Directorate-General for Defense, Industry and Space of the European Commission the sector’s challenges, Andalusia’s strengths, and the support instruments provided by the Andalusian Government for this industry. This meeting comes just one week after the active participation of the Andalusian Government in the fourth edition of the International Defense and Security Fair (FEINDEF) in Madrid. «In the meeting, we discussed new instruments such as the SAFE, which aims to mobilize €150 billion in loans to increase defense spending in the European Union,» and above all, «we analyzed the possible mechanisms to involve our auxiliary industry in the early stages of programs promoted by major defense contractors.» In this regard, Jorge Paradela shared the initiative promoted with Innova IRV to promote new industrial activity linked to four dual technology challenges, with civil and military applications, a project that has been well received by representatives of the DG Defense as it aligns with the European strategy.
On the other hand, during the meeting with the Director-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs of the European Commission, DG Grow, Joaquim Nunes de Almeida, they focused on the mining projects located in Andalusia considered strategic by the EU, referring to Atlantic Copper and Cobre las Cruces, and European objectives to accelerate industry decarbonization.
Finally, the Minister held separate meetings with the Member of the European Parliament and Vice-Coordinator for International Trade in the European Parliament, Juan Ignacio Zoido, and with the Member of the European Parliament and Chair of the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament, Carmen Crespo, with whom he discussed the contributions of the European People’s Party regarding the defense industry and its impact on businesses, and the importance of Europe focusing on the need to invest in water infrastructure.
Minister Paradela after a meeting with the Director of the European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and the Environment of the European Commission (CINEA), Paloma Aba.
