On June 14, 2019, Spain became one of seven European Union member states to sign the Quantum Communication Infrastructure (QCI) Declaration during the Digital Assembly in Bucharest, Romania. The declaration committed signatory states to work together on developing and deploying a secure quantum communication infrastructure across the EU.
Spain was represented by Carlos Romero Duplá, Telecommunications and Media Attaché at the Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU in Brussels. The European Commission co-organised the event with the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The QCI was conceived as the backbone of a future Quantum Internet, using Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) to enable ultra-secure transmission of information. ICFO researcher Valerio Pruneri was designated as one of two Spanish representatives for the QCI initiative, alongside Juan José García Ripoll from CSIC.