The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, highlighted on Thursday at the Fórum Europa in Brussels the role played by Indra Group in the effort to achieve “strategic autonomy in defence and technological sovereignty in Europe”.
José Manuel Albares made this statement during the presentation by Indra Group CEO José Vicente de los Mozos at an informative meeting organised by New Economy Forum in the EU capital.
Albares began by highlighting that Indra is “one of the leading companies in the defence sector in Europe, a global security provider and a benchmark for innovation and excellence”, and considered that today it is a company “at the forefront of a crucial transformation at the most turbulent time in international society in decades”.
The Indra Group, he stressed, is “one of the driving forces behind the defence industry ecosystem in Spain”, collaborating with SMEs, start-ups, universities and scientific research centres, thus contributing to “building a cohesive and solid productive fabric in Spain”.
The minister highlighted the role played by Indra in the effort to achieve “strategic autonomy in defence and technological sovereignty in Europe”.
For the Foreign Minister, Indra has an industrial model that responds to the demands of the current geopolitical context, since “Europe's security must go hand in hand with employment, economic prosperity, diversification of sources and alliances”.
“Europe's security must be built on cooperation between Europeans, fostering industrial synergies and establishing a gradual and flexible European preference”, argued the minister.
The head of Spanish diplomacy cited Russia's aggression against Ukraine, which has brought war back to Europe, and the devastation and famine induced in Gaza, as factors that are “eroding an international order based on respect for international law and fundamental human rights”.
He added other phenomena such as the climate emergency, hybrid campaigns, disinformation and drone incursions, as Belgium has recently suffered.
He pointed out that in Europe, the energy crisis resulting from Russian aggression and trade disputes “have made economic security an existential imperative for the European Union”. He therefore stressed that European autonomy and sovereignty “are essential to guarantee security of supply, industrial competitiveness and economic and social prosperity”.
In order to have a “strong, autonomous, sovereign and global Europe”, Albares recalled that Spain advocates consolidating strategic autonomy, and to this end he stated that the Spanish Executive “welcomes” the roadmap presented at the European Council on 23 October.
In this regard, the minister recalled that Spain is one of the countries participating in the PURL (Priority Requirements List for Ukraine) programme and in the SAFE programme for the joint procurement of defence equipment.
Furthermore, the Foreign Minister asserted that “investing in defence is undoubtedly investing in security, and it is also investing in peace, in national industrial development, in competitiveness and in job creation”.
In this regard, Albares highlighted the role played by Indra and other companies that “represent an innovative industrial fabric, oriented towards exports and also committed to European security”.
