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The Welsh Government has become a signatory of an alliance of European regional governments, promoting growth, fostering collaboration, and developing strong value chains in the semiconductor industry.

The Welsh Government has become a signatory of an alliance of European regional governments, promoting growth, fostering collaboration, and developing strong value chains in the semiconductor industry.

The Welsh Government’s Representative on Europe, on behalf of Minister for the Economy Vaughan Gething, has signed a declaration to join the European Semiconductor Regional Alliance (ESRA), becoming one of the 19 founding regions of the alliance.

The ESRA will act as a regional platform as well as a partner to the European Union and will promote the competitiveness of the industry globally. The ESRA’s activities focus on:

• research and innovation, developing new technologies and applications
• skills and talent, promoting education and training programmes
• cluster development, promoting regional clusters and cross-regional partnerships

Following the signing of the declaration, Wales’ Economy Minister Vaughan Gething yesterday said:

I’m delighted that the Welsh Government has become a signatory of the European Semiconductor Regional Alliance.

The Welsh Government is ambitious for the semiconductor sector in the south-east of Wales and the objectives of the ESRA align with our Programme for Government and our Innovation Strategy, published earlier this year.

Joining the ESRA will provide new opportunities for Welsh companies to embed themselves in European supply chains, support innovation, collaboration and ultimately create a more resilient semiconductor sector.

Signing on behalf of the Welsh Government, Wales’ Representative on Europe, Derek Vaughan yesterday said:

Europe remains Wales’ closest and most important trading partner, and our new membership of the European Semiconductor Regional Alliance will support our International Strategy as we maintain a close and positive relationship with the European Union.

The signing ceremony, hosted by the Prime Minister of the Free State of Saxony, took place at the European Committee of Regions in Brussels on 7 September.