<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>On July 4 and 5, the city of Santander will host the 28th edition of the Spain-United States Forum, the premier public-private dialogue meeting between the two countries. The event will address three main topics: energy efficiency, sustainable transport infrastructure, and artificial intelligence.</strong></h4> The event, organized by the Fundación Consejo España-EEUU (Spain-United States Council Foundation) and the United States-Spain Council, will bring together leaders from the public, private, academic, and cultural sectors who will discuss some of the main global challenges shared by Spain and the United States. Over its nearly 30 editions, the forum has been held in cities such as Washington, D.C., Miami, Santa Barbara, Seville, Barcelona, and Bilbao. This year's event will be led by the co-chairs of the Forum's organizing entities, Josu Jon Imaz, president of the Fundación Consejo España-EEUU and CEO of Repsol, and US Senator for New Mexico Ben Ray Luján, honorary president of the United States-Spain Council. Representing the Spanish Government will be Diego Martínez Belío, State Secretarfor Foreign and Global Affairs, and José Manuel Santano, State Secretary for Transport and Sustainable Mobility. Rounding out the official representation will be Ángeles Moreno, Spanish Ambassador to the US, and Rian Harris, Chargé d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Spain. Local authorities will be represented by María José Sáenz de Buruaga, President of Cantabria, and Gema Igual, Mayor of Santander. The event will also feature a delegation of US congressmen and senators and prominent business figures from both countries, such as Óscar García Maceiras, CEO of INDITEX; Arturo Gonzalo, CEO of ENAGÁS; Juan Santamaría, CEO of ACS; Darío Gil, Corporate Vice President of IBM and Director of IBM Research (recently nominated by President Donald Trump to be Under Secretary for Science and Innovation at the Department of Energy); Marie Therese Dominguez, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation; and Brad Carson, President of Americans for Responsible Innovation. Participants will address three strategic axes: energy efficiency and smart infrastructure, with a focus on the modernization of electrical infrastructure, the integration of renewable energy, and improving the economic and environmental performance of systems; resilient and sustainable transportation infrastructure, including the role that emerging technologies (such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and blockchain) can play in optimizing flows, reducing operating costs, and improving the user experience; and artificial intelligence, with special attention to the opportunities it offers, its implications for cybersecurity, regulation, sustainability, or digital equity, and the role that governments must play in ensuring responsible, inclusive, and accessible development on both sides of the Atlantic.
