The Government of the Principality of Asturias has introduced a draft of the Industry Pact during the Industry Forum, promoting a significant regional agreement to establish the sector as a driver of growth, employment, innovation, and economic transformation. This document is part of the commitments made in the social concertation for 2024-2027 and serves as a working draft for analysis by the organisations involved in the forum.
The primary aim is to achieve broad consensus that provides stability to industrial policy and allows for the maintenance of its key lines of action beyond the scope of a single legislative term. With this proposal, the government seeks to leverage the new European reindustrialisation cycle, which has reinstated the sector's central role in community policies due to its significance for strategic autonomy, energy security, innovation, and competitiveness, as highlighted by Borja Sánchez, the regional Minister of Science, Industry, and Employment.
The document asserts that Asturias is entering this phase with a robust productive base and industrial, energy, logistical, scientific, and technological capabilities. Consequently, the pact aims to harness these strengths and equip the Asturias Industrial Strategy with tools to sustain long-term sector growth.
Additionally, the proposal seeks to advance towards a regional industrial policy with greater self-sufficiency and reduced reliance on extraordinary funds, particularly in investment, financing, land, and business support. The goal is to strengthen stable regional instruments, enhance the capture of national and European resources, and mobilise private investment.
Six pillars to enhance competitiveness
The draft outlines the pact around six pillars that encompass the main factors influencing the future of the industry:
- Energy: Ensure a sufficient and competitive supply, strengthen electrical networks, and promote renewable energies, self-consumption, storage, efficiency, hydrogen, and biogas.
- Industrial spaces: Provide land, plots, and facilities tailored to business needs and prepare locations with energy, water, communications, and services to attract new projects.
- Investment promotion: Integrate land, subsidies, financing, and business support, while reinforcing regional instruments and enhancing the role of the Sekuens Agency in attracting and implementing investments.
- Infrastructure and logistics: Advance integration into the Atlantic Corridor, improve freight rail transport, and access to the ports of Gijón and Avilés, while promoting ZALIA.
- Research, development, and innovation: Increase business R&D and knowledge transfer between the University of Oviedo, technological centres, and companies, with a focus on digitalisation, artificial intelligence, automation, and advanced manufacturing.
- Talent and qualification: Anticipate the professional needs of the industry, improve coordination between vocational training, universities, and employment training, and promote dual vocational training, reskilling, and the attraction and return of talent.
These six pillars converge towards a common objective: to improve conditions for industrial companies to invest, transform, and grow, thereby enhancing Asturias's capacity to attract new projects.
