On November 15, Minister-President Jambon paid a working visit to the Basque Country. To further strenghthen the good cooperation between Flanders and the Basque Country, the Minister-President and Lehendakari Iñigo Urkullu – leader of the Basque government – signed a new Memorandum of Understanding. The signing took place at the official residence of the Lehendakari in the Basque capital Vitoria-Gasteiz. There was also extensive discussion on many subjects that concern Flanders and the Basque Country.
This new Memorandum is also the starting point for closer cooperation in the cultural field. Simultaneously with the working visit of the Minister-President, a 'Learning Tour' started in the Basque Country with fifteen Flemish professional artists. In the spring of 2022, a Basque delegation of artists will pay a return visit to Flanders. In this way, the theme of 'cultural cooperation' immediately gets off to a flying start.
The Minister-President also visited two Basque technological centers: Tecnalia and AZTI, which are at the top of Europe. Both technological clusters have been working together for many years with Flemish counterparts such as VLIZ, DSP Valley, imec, VITO and the Blue Cluster. The working visit of the Minister-President was used to highlight their working relationship even more firmly by signing no fewer than five sectoral Memoranda of Understanding: between Tecnalia and VITO; Tecnalia and imec; Tecnalia and DSP Valley, AZTI and VLIZ and between the Basque Energy Cluster and the Flemish Blue Cluster.
Finally, the Minister-President also visited the Guggenheim Museum.
© BELGA Photo Nicolas Maeterlinck
