- The number of companies with equality plans has risen from 63% to 72% in just over a year.
- Navarre concludes the European ‘Debuting’ project by incorporating the gender perspective into S4 by including a wage gap indicator
As part of the celebrations for March 8, the Government of Navarra, through Sodena, held a conference today at Baluarte entitled “Emplea en Femenino / Emakumeak Empleguan” (Women in Employment), a meeting in which best practices, challenges, and experiences in the field of gender equality were shared as a key element for business competitiveness.
The conference also served to present the results of the European Debuting project and review the actions carried out within the framework of the current Navarre Employment Plan.
During the opening of the meeting, the Minister for Social Rights, Social Economy, and Employment, Carmen Maeztu, highlighted the actions aimed at promoting equality in the workplace and reducing the gender gap included in the Employment Plan, which has an investment of 2.3 million euros until 2028.
Maeztu pointed out that, as of January 31, 2026, a total of 341 companies in Navarra with 50 or more employees had submitted their equality plan, representing 71.8% of the total number of companies required to have one in the region (475).
“These are positive figures, given that at the end of 2024 the percentage of companies with an equality plan was 63%,” he explained.
For his part, the Minister for Industry and Ecological and Digital Business Transition, Mikel Irujo, stressed that “the experience of the Debuting project shows that gender equality is not just a regulatory issue, but a factor that directly affects the competitiveness and sustainability of our companies.”
In this regard, he pointed out that “a modern, innovative industry capable of attracting talent must incorporate equality into its strategy and organizational culture. At Sodena, we will continue working to ensure that Navarre’s industrial fabric moves forward with determination in this area, because competitiveness and cohesion must go hand in hand.”
During the conference, real cases and experiences were presented from Navarran companies committed to equality beyond legal requirements.
Alex Uriarte (IED) shared the initiatives that the company is developing to promote STEM vocations among young people; Belén Hernández (Grupo AN) addressed the development of equality policies aimed at improving well-being at work; and Eder Mena (Eroski) explained the actions taken to promote female leadership.
These experiences, as Marta García-Drake (CEN) pointed out, are being shared among companies through a recently created alliance.
Following Eva Pardo’s (AIN) presentation on the Lidera en Femenino program, Amaia Úriz (FS Group Engineering), Patricia López (APMEN), and Susana Sánchez (Moa Foodtech) shared their views on how to approach gender equality from different perspectives in the business world.
The European Debuting project in Navarre
Debuting (Developing Business Through Inclusiveness and Gender Awareness) is an initiative developed within the framework of the Interreg Europe program aimed at promoting structural changes in industry to reduce gender gaps and improve business competitiveness through more inclusive policies.
Since 2023, 12 partner entities from 11 European regions have participated in the project: Värmland (Sweden), Lapland (Finland), North-West (Romania), Lower Austria (Austria), Magyarország (Hungary), Emilia-Romagna (Italy), Pomorskie (Poland), Grand Est (France), Baden-Württemberg (Germany), Ungheni (Moldova), and Navarra.
The main results of the project include:
- greater awareness among industry of the relationship between equality and competitiveness;
- the identification of priority areas for improvement, especially in female leadership, STEM vocations, work-life balance, and organizational culture;
- the development of practical tools and recommendations for companies;
- and the consolidation of a collaborative network between public and private actors.
Likewise, according to Beatriz Blasco, project technician for Sodena’s Regional Strategy, the project has made it possible to incorporate the gender perspective into the regional strategy, including a gender pay gap indicator, approved in January 2026 by the steering committee of the S4 Smart Specialization Strategy.
In Navarre, the project has been coordinated by the public company Sodena, in collaboration with the Directorate General for Social Economy and Labor and with the participation of INAI, UPNA, Education FP, CEN, AMEDNA, AEDIPE, SNE, CEIN, Functional Print, and Enercluster.
The aim has been to analyze the situation of industry in Navarra and promote specific improvements that reinforce equality in the business sphere.
The international dimension of the project has enabled Navarra to position itself in an environment of strategic cooperation, facilitating the exchange of public policies and models of action in the field of equality applied to industry.
With the completion of the project, Navarra is now entering a phase of monitoring and consolidating the progress made, incorporating the lessons learned by the eleven participating regions.
In addition, based on the conclusions of the project, a report of recommendations is being prepared for the European Union to continue promoting policies that foster equality in the business world.
