- The meeting will last until Wednesday, with sessions focused on an in-depth discussion of the soil-water-biodiversity system
- Interreg Poctep HIBA project advocates the creation of an agro-digital ecosystem
12/07/2023, Brussels. Monday, July 10 at 10:00 (CEST) the first day of the informal ministerial meeting on environment and energy was held in Valladolid. One of the topics discussed at this meeting was the use of technological innovations applied to the agricultural world, which is aligned with some of the principles of the Interreg HIBA-Hub Iberia Agrotech project.
The working sessions will focus on the priorities of the Spanish Presidency within the framework of the objectives of the European green agenda, including the preservation of spaces as a support for the production capacity of the primary sector over the coming decades. In addition, the issues to be discussed during this meeting will be addressed with a view to the next United Nations Conference on Climate Change, to be held in December in Dubai.
The Environment managers developed the agenda of this first day in three blocks. First, the integrated management of soils, water, forests and biodiversity was discussed. The second part of the day focused on existing alternatives to reduce pollution of the seas. Finally, the third block explored the need to balance the implementation of renewable energies with land management and the protection and conservation of biodiversity.
The appearance after the meetings has counted with the participation of Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries. Sinkevičius has defended the cross-cutting approach of the measures proposed, since “problems such as biodiversity loss or food security cannot be dealt with separately, being issues that reinforce each other”. Right now, as the commissioner pointed out, one of the challenges that the sector must face are droughts and their corresponding drop in crop productivity. For this reason, Sinkevičius has highlighted measures such as genomic techniques that can counter this drop in production. “It is necessary to get these types of proposals to farmers, it is time to help farmers,” concluded Sinkevičius.
HIBA Interreg
Within the amalgam of objectives of the HIBA project, the development of experimentation services for new technologies applied to the agricultural sector is one of the areas to be covered. The Interreg Spain-Portugal Cross-Border Cooperation Project (POCTEP) HIBA will promote a multi-regional ecosystem focused on the digitalization of the agri-food sector in Spain and Portugal through the creation of a network of Digital Innovation Hubs (DIH) to promote initiative, competitiveness and business sustainability, promoting post-Covid19 economic recovery.
The results of Interreg HIBA hinge on three bases aligned with the initial objectives and which demonstrate the success of the project. First, it has contributed to the creation of a network of Digital Innovation Hubs (DIH), accelerating the digital maturity, competitiveness and visibility of companies in the cross-border area between Spain and Portugal. Second, the program’s actions have enabled the development of new professional profiles to meet the business needs of the digital economy context and the post-Covid19 economic recovery. Finally, support has been provided for the digitization of agribusinesses through entrepreneurship, digital innovation and experimentation.
Tomorrow these sessions will continue to focus on the challenges to be presented at the next COP 28 and the improvements that can be made in communicating the opportunities of the energy and climate agenda.
About Finnova
Finnova is the Spanish-Belgian non-profit foundation based in Brussels and Spain, working for the promotion and development of innovation and entrepreneurship in the EU. Finnova’s experience in leading communication and dissemination activities of European projects is combined with a strong proven track record in business creation and entrepreneurship support programmes, such as accelerators, incubators and events, as well as its commitment to training and employability of young people.
About Interreg HIBA
The Interreg Spain-Portugal Cross-Border Cooperation Project (POCTEP) HIBA will promote a multi-regional ecosystem focused on the digitisation of the agri-food sector in Spain and Portugal through the creation of a network of Digital Innovation Hubs (DIH) to foster initiative, competitiveness and business sustainability, promoting economic recovery post-Covid19.
With a budget of 5.3 million euros, 75% co-financed by the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) in the framework of the Interreg V-A Spain-Portugal Cross-Border Cooperation Programme 2014-2020 (POCTEP), HIBA has 19 beneficiaries, with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development of the Andalusian Regional Government being the main beneficiary.