• The government delegate in Cantabria participated in the inauguration of the conference ‘Global challenges and European strategic autonomy’ organized by the Defense Industry Cluster

The government delegate in Cantabria, Pedro Casares, highlighted the importance of Europe’s “strategic autonomy” to “guarantee a future of progress and hope” in the face of an “increasingly competitive, uncertain and also more interconnected” global scenario.

Casares pointed this out this Wednesday at the inauguration of the conference ‘Global challenges and European strategic autonomy’ organized by the Cluster of the Defense Industry in Cantabria in collaboration with the Delegation of Defense and the University of Cantabria.

In his speech, the representative of the State referred to the war conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East or the international economic scenario marked by the increase in tariff rates in the United States and which have “a leading impact on the global economy” and also in that of Spain.

“The war on European soil, the pressure on supply chains, the digital transition, the climate crisis, cyberspace security or competition for strategic resources form an environment in which Europe is forced to reflect on its role, its capacity for action and its future,” said Casares.

And he pointed out that, in all this context, “the concept of European strategic autonomy has acquired a central relevance” and, therefore, “there is no one in Europe who does not talk about the importance of strategic autonomy to guarantee a future of progress and hope as has always represented the European project, of which Spain has been part for 40 years”.

Casares also pointed out that the Government of Spain has launched an industrial and technological plan for security and defense endowed with 10,000 million euros because “it is a country ambition but we need to add more wills”.

The government delegate has considered it “essential” that knowledge flows between institutions, companies and universities as in this day of the Defense Industry Cluster that has shown itself to be sure that it will serve to “generate useful knowledge, open new avenues of cooperation and reinforce the conviction that Europe will only move forward if we are able to see the global challenges we face with unity and responsibility.”

Casares has opened the day, held in the Gómez Laá Room of the UC, together with the delegate of Defense, Emiliano Blanco; the president of the Cluster, Manuel Vila; and the dean of the Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences, Jesús Collado.