Málaga hosts the inaugural session of the Working Group on the Draghi Report, promoted by the Fide and INNOVA IRV Foundations.

• Joaquín Almunia, former Vice President of the European Commission and former Commissioner for Competition, participates in the session

The Hall of Mirrors at the Málaga City Hall hosted this morning the inaugural event of the workshop series titled “Innovation, Productivity, Competitiveness, Geostrategy: What initiatives can be formulated from Spain in response to the Draghi Report?”, a joint initiative by the INNOVA IRV Foundation and the Fide Foundation.

The event, which brought together over fifty institutional representatives, international experts, academics, and business leaders, was chaired by the Mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre. In his welcome address, he emphasized the importance of cities like Málaga being actively involved in major European debates on economic and technological transformation.

Following this, Ezequiel Navarro, President of INNOVA IRV, and Cristina Jiménez, President of the Fide Foundation, presented the working program that will take place between July and November in various cities including Madrid and Córdoba. The aim of this workshop series is to promote concrete proposals from Spain in response to the challenges highlighted in the Draghi Report, particularly in the fields of innovation, industrial sustainability, and economic security.

One of the highlights of the day was the intervention of Joaquín Almunia, former Vice President of the European Commission and former Commissioner for Competition, who offered a strategic perspective on the role of Spain and the European Union in the evolving global economic landscape.

“In Europe, we generate science, but we are not able to bring those ideas to market. We need to work on organizing an innovation system that is at least as clearly defined as the one we have for research,” emphasized Joaquín Almunia.

This event marks the beginning of a collaborative reflection process aimed at translating the principles of the Draghi Report into tangible initiatives aligned with the capabilities of the Spanish technological and industrial ecosystem. The first working session will take place on June 25 at the FIDE headquarters in Madrid.

About the Fide Foundation

Fide is a permanent forum for high-level professionals and seasoned experts working in companies, professional firms, and public administration.

Each year, Fide holds nearly 400 debate sessions, enabling members to stay informed about emerging issues in the legal and business landscape in Spain, Europe, and beyond. These sessions cover topics proposed by professionals in Brussels or Madrid, always of high relevance to the legal and economic community.

About the INNOVA IRV Foundation

INNOVA IRV is a public-private foundation whose goal is to support the growth and consolidation of the digital technology industry in Spain.

The Foundation is promoted by the Málaga City Council, the Andalusian Regional Government through the Ministry of Universities, Research, and Innovation, Grupo Myramar, Fundación Sando, and Mayoral, with financial support from Unicaja.

INNOVA IRV is supported by a wide network of collaborating entities, including: Accenture, Aertec, Agencia Digital de Andalucía, Ametic, Anovo, Atarfil, Bic Euronova, Celestia TST, CSG Ingeniería, CaixaBank’s DayOne, Dekra, Málaga Provincial Council, Endesa, Ericsson, Eurecat, Famadesa, GMV, Google, Hispasec, ITA, Iturri, Málaga Tech Park, Orange, Premo, Simón, Smart City Cluster, Smart Health Tv Solutions, Telefónica, Tinámica, Top Digital, Trops, Tupl, Andalucía’s Tourism Company, University of Granada, University of Málaga, University of Seville, and Vodafone.