The Inter-American Development Bank analyses the Basque competitiveness model

• A technical delegation of the main financial organisation of Latin America will be in the Basque Country until Friday, a visit that was discussed during the trade mission led by Lehendakari Patxi López to the United States in October.
• In 2011, the IDB approved loans and donations to the tune of 8.385 million euros to back projects that promote development in Latin America
• The mission is focused on good practices in competitiveness and innovation

This week, the Department for Industry, Innovation, Trade and Tourism will host the visit until Friday of a delegation of the Innovation and Competitiveness Division of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the main financial organisation of Latin America whose purpose is to foster development of that whole area and which approved funding to the tune of 8,385 million euros last year. The delegation's visit is a further proof of the success of the trade mission to the USA in October, led by Lehendakari Patxi López, who signed an agreement with the IDB to mediate between the bank and Basque companies to access projects in Latin America. Last year alone, the IDB approved loans and donations to the tune of 8.385 million euros to back development projects in Latin America.

The visit of the IDB delegation is to obtain first-hand information on the instruments and services that the Basque Government has implemented to drive and consolidate the competitiveness of the business fabric.

They therefore want to see for themselves and analyse the good practices that, designed as part of the Competitiveness Plan and implemented in conjunction with Basque advanced service companies, could be a benchmark for projects to be undertaken by Latin American countries that are funded through the IDB. During these five days, the Inter-American Development Bank representatives will meet with the Basque Government's Minister for Industry, Innovation, Trade and Tourism, Bernabé Unda, and with the SPRI General Manager, Tomás Orbea. They will also visit the Technology Parks. They will also obtain first-hand information from the heads of the Basque clusters and the cooperation policies being implemented. The schedule also includes meetings with Innobasque, Elkargi, Red Innovanet, Centros de Empresa e Innovación, Tecnalia, MCC, Orkestra and the other members of the Basque innovation network.

The IDB delegation visiting the Basque Country is technical and is made up by the professionals directly in charge of driving, managing and validating the projects that the countries wish to be funded. Their knowledge of successful cases in the Basque Country, particularly the ones linked to innovation and internationalisation, will therefore help to put Basque companies that tender for those projects in a strong starting position.

The Lehendakari's visit to the IDB in October 2011 has already opened up other partnership opportunities. Last March, the Basque Government through the SPRI was thus invited to present the urban regeneration model of the Basque capitals as part of the URBE2050 project.

At the end of the month, between 28 May and 1 June, another IDB delegation will visit the Basque Country. It will focus on learning about sustainable cities and energy efficiency methodology and projects in the Basque Country, and the delegation will again meet with the Basque Government's Minister for Industry, Innovation, Trade and Tourism, Bernabé Unda, its Minister for Housing, Public Works and Transport, Iñaki Arriola, and its Minister for the Environment, Land Planning, Agriculture and Fisheries, Pilar Unzalu.

Inter-American Development Bank

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is an international financial organisation, with equity of 136,000 million euros, which was set up to fund viable institutional, social and economic development projects and to foster regional trade integration in the area of Latin America and the Caribbean.

In 2011, the IDB approved loans and donations to the tune of 8.385 million euros to back projects that promote development in Latin America This projects are in four main sectors: Social policies to foster productivity, Institutions for growth and social welfare, Competitiveness and global international integration, Protecting the environment (in response to climate change, promoting renewable energies and guaranteeing food)