Barcelona, 7 November 2025 – The European Chemical Regions Network (ECRN) welcomes the new cooperation agreement between Lombardy (Italy) and Catalonia (Spain), aimed at strengthening collaboration in the strategic field of the chemical industry. During a meeting held in Barcelona, Guido Guidesi, Regional Minister for Economic Development of Lombardy, and Miquel Sàmper, Minister for Business and Labour of the Government of Catalonia, agreed to reinforce the relationship between their regional ecosystems, launch joint projects, and coordinate actions towards European institutions.
Both Lombardy and Catalonia are active members of ECRN, which represents regions with a strong chemical footprint and serves as a recognised voice of territories in European industrial policy. The new partnership builds on the long-standing collaboration within the network and highlights the key role of regional cooperation in advancing Europe’s industrial resilience and competitiveness.
“Lombardy and Catalonia are similar in economic and social terms and both contribute significantly to Europe’s GDP,” said Guido Guidesi. “A structured partnership allows us to strengthen our support for the chemical sector, which is vital for manufacturing and international competitiveness. Through ECRN, we are already working together to protect businesses, employment, and industrial know-how.”
“The chemical sector in Catalonia plays a crucial role in our industrial economy,” added Miquel Sàmper. “This unites us with Lombardy, which, like us, has developed a complete chemical ecosystem built on strong public-private collaboration. Now more than ever, we can form an alliance that multiplies synergies within the European framework.”
The agreement foresees the creation of joint working groups involving regional administrations, industry associations, and innovation actors from both regions, as well as two annual bilateral meetings alternating between Milan and Barcelona. Each year, at least two common priorities will be identified — such as training, research, environmental sustainability, and joint actions at EU level — alongside opportunities for business-to-business exchanges.
The Lombard delegation in Barcelona included representatives from Acció, Federchimica (with Vice President Aram Manoukian), Professor Pierangelo Metrangolo from Politecnico di Milano, and ECRN Director Folco Ciulli, reflecting the network’s direct engagement in facilitating interregional cooperation and innovation in the chemical sector.
ECRN continues to gain recognition in Brussels as the voice of chemical regions. The European Commission has recently included the network’s positions in the Terms of Reference of the Critical Chemical Alliance, citing ECRN as a best-practice example of a territorial network contributing to Europe’s industrial objectives.
Both regions represent strong chemical ecosystems. Lombardy ranks among the top five European regions in terms of employment in the chemical sector (around 45,000 workers) and is third in Europe for fine and specialty chemicals for industrial use. Catalonia also considers the sector a strategic industrial priority, with one of the highest concentrations of chemical companies in Europe.
