Leaders Meetings highlight crucial role of European regions for a resilient European Union

The first Leaders Meeting took place in Antwerp. The Minister-President of Flanders seized the momentum of the European presidency to organise a summit of innovative European regions. The second Leaders Meeting followed on 9 and 10 February 2026 in Bilbao.

Flanders laid the foundations for deeper long-term cooperation between European regions. Delegations from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the Basque Country, Baden-Württemberg, Catalonia, Hauts-de-France, Lombardy, Lower Saxony, Upper Austria and Saxony came together at the first Leaders Meeting.

In Bilbao, Western Pomerania, Navarre, Grand-Est and Wallonia were also represented. Emilia Romagna and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes did not send a political delegation, but did sign the declaration.

In a Joint Declaration, the government leaders call on the European Union to recognise and engage regions as strategic partners in the design and implementation of policies, thereby ensuring proximity to citizens and businesses.

Regions play a central role in knowledge transfer and are key spaces where research and innovation policies are effectively implemented.

A more coherent and collaborative approach is essential to turn European ambitions into demonstrable results.

A stronger and more competitive Europe starts with strong regions that are given the space and confidence to achieve European ambitions on the ground.

The regions committed to deepening their cooperation in three key sectors where regions can make a real difference.

Clean and sustainable technologies

The green transition requires scaling up new technologies and innovative services, which offers many market opportunities. Europe’s industrial regions are at the forefront of developing and producing renewable energy systems, smart grids, hydrogen, energy storage and circular materials.

They are the regions par excellence that, in dialogue with businesses and citizens, put together the puzzle of infrastructure, spatial planning and the labour market every day. They call on Europe to make the decarbonisation of energy-intensive sectors a priority and to align frameworks and regulations to ensure that the green transition strengthens rather than weakens our productive capacity.

Disruptive digital technologies

Artificial intelligence, classical and quantum hybrid computing, microelectronics and data-driven innovation are totally redefining societies. Regions are home to research centres, companies and talents that lead on the global stage. They can experiment and scale up, while monitoring the societal impact.

Europe must accelerate its digital transition to ensure cutting-edge infrastructures, interoperable standards and ethical governance. Funding may include EU and regional co-investment instruments.

Biotechnology and the health industry

The pandemic demonstrated the importance of strong regional ecosystems across research, production and care. They are uniquely positioned to bridge science and industry, enhance resilience in healthcare systems, and create more sustainable, competitive agri-food sectors and sustainable bio-based materials. Strengthening Europe’s biotechnology capacity requires coordinated investment in research, innovation, regulation, infrastructure, talent and technology adoption.

Key challenges

To ensure policy discussions align with industry practice, sector representatives also interacted on a theme-by-theme basis in Bilbao. They identified 3 key challenges:

• Technological Dependency: There is a shared concern regarding European market fragmentation and the reliance on third countries (USA and Asia) for AI and Quantum infrastructures.
• The Financial “Valley of Death”: Clusters agree that while Europe generates excellent science, it fails to scale its startups industrially due to a lack of venture capital and agile regulatory frameworks.
• Administrative Simplification: An urgent “Call to Action” has been issued to the European Commission to simplify reporting processes and access to funds such as the Innovation Fund or Horizon Europe.