Group photo;
Credit: MECO
From Tuesday 3 to Thursday 5 November 2026, Luxembourg's Minister of the Economy, SMEs, Energy and Tourism, Lex Delles, made a working visit to Barcelona, Spain, to strengthen economic relations with Catalonia, explore innovative technologies for sustainable cities and discuss the future of the automotive industry and mobility.
According to Luxembourg's Ministry of the Economy, SMEs, Energy and Tourism, on his first visiting day Minister Delles met Salvador Illa, President of the Government of Catalonia, to discuss shared economic priorities and opportunities for closer cooperation. Their discussions focused on European competitiveness, digital transformation and the energy transition.
Minister Delles also visited DFactory Barcelona, an innovation hub specialising in robotics, 3D printing, Industry 4.0 and artificial intelligence (AI). During the visit, he met representatives of several companies and start-ups, including E-Miles Company – Malena Engineering, ANYbotics and Eairis, to explore potential areas of cooperation.
On Wednesday 4 November 2026, Minister Delles attended the Smart City Expo World Congress at Fira de Barcelona, where Luxembourg participated for the seventh consecutive year with a national pavilion. Jointly organised by Luxembourg’s Chamber of Commerce and Luxembourg’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, the pavilion brought together eighteen exhibitors representing digital technologies, industry, research, mobility and sustainability.
Participants included Luxembourg companies and institutions such as POST Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), ArcelorMittal Commercial and the cities of Differdange, Esch-sur-Alzette and Luxembourg.
During the exhibition, Minister Delles met Luxembourg exhibitors to learn about their projects and international development plans. A delegation from the Syndicate of Luxembourg Towns and Municipalities (Syvicol) also attended, highlighting the growing interest of municipalities in smart technologies and sustainable urban development.
Reportedly, Minister Delles attended a presentation by Swiss start-up Transcality on a digital twin mobility project developed with the City of Differdange, followed by a presentation by MABU Concepts alongside its CEO, Steven Macedo, and representatives of the municipality of Stadtbredimus. The Chamber of Commerce also organised a networking reception to facilitate exchanges between Luxembourg participants and international stakeholders.
On the closing day, Lex Delles visited CASA SEAT – CUPRA in Barcelona, where he discussed developments in the automotive industry, electromobility and challenges facing the sector with company representatives.
Commenting on the visit, Lex Delles said: "Luxembourg and Spain maintain close ties and strong areas of collaboration in many sectors. The visit to Barcelona and Luxembourg's participation with a national pavilion at the Smart City Expo World Congress in recent years underline the growing importance of smart cities, a field of the future where innovation, sustainability and digital technology come together. I am pleased that so many companies and representatives of Luxembourg municipalities presented their projects at this exhibition and took this opportunity to engage with stakeholders offering new solutions for citizens. The meetings held during this visit confirm that our strategy of economic diversification, industrial innovation and transition towards a sustainable and digital economy fully addresses the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow."
