Europe’s regional and local leaders met in Galway, Ireland, on 6 – 7 October to discuss how regions can support local businesses, investment and trade as global supply chains shift.
The gathering was a two-day meeting of the European Committee of the Regions’ Commission for Economic Policy (ECON), hosted by Galway County Councillor Jimmy McClearn, the Committee (CoR) informed in a statement on Wednesday.
Discussions focused on how regions can strengthen their economies through investment, trade and support for local businesses, with a particular focus on foreign direct investment and locally owned firms in Galway and Ireland’s Atlantic Economic Corridor.
Participants also discussed trade volatility and changing global supply chains, and called for regulatory simplification and competitiveness reforms to reduce administrative burdens.
Draft opinions on maritime industry and semiconductors
ECON members adopted a draft opinion on the EU Industrial Maritime Strategy, drafted by rapporteur Adam Banazak, a councillor in Inowrocław County in Poland.
The draft calls for a “place-based” approach — tailoring implementation to local conditions — for coastal, island, outermost and industrial maritime regions, and includes calls to improve access to finance and make greater use of public-private partnerships.
It also calls for support to modernise and decarbonise shipyards, and for the availability of affordable clean energy.
Members also adopted a draft opinion on the European Commission’s proposed “Chips Act 2.0”, which is intended to strengthen Europe’s semiconductor industry and reduce dependencies on external suppliers.
The draft opinion, led by rapporteur Thomas Schmidt, a member of the Saxony state parliament in Germany, supports a more regionally anchored approach and proposes creating a “label of excellence” for European semiconductor regions.
It calls for the label to be linked to measurable benefits, and for faster administrative and state-aid procedures, as well as a dedicated semiconductor budget in the next EU budget.
ECON members held an initial exchange of views on a draft opinion on the Cloud and AI Development Act, drafted by rapporteur René Jansen, an alderman in the Dutch municipality of Dongen.
The meeting also included a visit to the BIA Innovator Campus in Athenry, County Galway, which supports food and drink businesses from start-ups to scaling companies.
