ERT Associates gather in Bilbao, hosted by Iberdrola
Bilbao, 17 April 2026: As one of the Spain’s leading companies, Iberdrola hosted an ERT meeting of senior executives from 60 of Europe’s leading industrial companies – over the past two-days in Bilbao, closed by the Lehendakari, Imanol Pradales.
The Membership of ERT – European Round Table for Industry – is comprised of the CEOs & Chairs of 60 of Europe’s most significant companies. In the Spanish corporate landscape, Members leading companies headquartered in Spain include Ignacio S. Galan (Iberdrola), Oscar Garcia Maceiras (Inditex), Marc Murtra (Telefónica) and Rafael del Pino (Ferrovial). Pablo Isla (Nestlé) and Miguel Angel Lopez Borrego (thyssenkrupp) and Belen Garijo (previously Merck Group) are also Members.
Preparing the ground
ERT organises its work through semi-annual plenary sessions attended by the CEOs/Chairs. The meeting in Bilbao these past days was an Associates meeting – bringing together key advisers and senior executives, to prepare the upcoming ERT Members’ Plenary in Sweden next month. Key topics on the agenda include energy policy, industrial and competition policy, innovation, security and defence, the single market, artificial intelligence and trade. The timing of these discussions could not be more relevant, in the context of the urgent need to advance EU’s Competitiveness agenda and the evolving impact of the energy shock precipitated by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
1
Held on 16 and 17 April, the sessions turned Torre Iberdrola, the group’s headquarters, and the city itself into a reference point for European economic and business dialogue, in a context marked by the challenges of competitiveness, security and the continent’s strategic autonomy, in which electrification plays a key enabling role.
Throughout the meeting, executives from major corporate groups — spanning sectors including energy, automotive, technology, telecommunications, aerospace and pharmaceuticals, among others — addressed the most pressing priorities for Europe’s productive fabric.
Background
The European Round Table for Industry was established in 1983 with the aim of fostering cooperation between businesses, policymakers and stakeholders, to develop the EU Single Market single currency. Today, its 60-strong Membership is committed to sustainable growth, job creation and strengthening Europe’s place in the world. Taken together, companies led by the Members of ERT have combined annual revenues of close to €3 trillion, generate more than 6 million direct jobs worldwide and invest around €120 billion a year in R&D&I.
Recent years have seen Europe confronted with all manner of uncertainty and a very worryingly trend of deindustrialisation. So, it is great to bring this ERT Associates meeting to one of the shining examples of the reinvention of Europe's traditional industrial heartlands, the Basque Country. Our sincere thanks to Iberdrola for hosting and helping us to take the temperature of industrial realities around Europe and showcasing the great city of Bilbao.