A. Rubio
Despite the complicated situation left in Argentina by the pandemic, at the end of 2020 “there is a surprising recovery that made us grow by 11% in 2021”, said Ambassador Ricardo Alfonsín during the presentation of the Spain-Argentina business meeting held on Tuesday at the CEOE with the presence of the Secretary of Industry and Productive Development of Argentina, José Ignacio de Mendiguren.
The ambassador said that he shared with Mendiguren, whom he presented as a man “with great courage” to face the country’s economic challenges, the need to industrialise Argentina because “we cannot continue to be basically a producer of raw materials”.
Mendiguren, who was Minister of Production between 2002 and 2003, presented the business opportunities that his country offers in key sectors such as industry, the knowledge economy, energy, mining and agro-industry, and he called for a new stage in relations with Spain, in which it can also take advantage of the role it plays within the European Union.
For his part, the Undersecretary of Analysis and Productive Planning, Gabriel Vienni, described in detail the advantages of Argentina as an investment destination for Spanish companies.
The conference was opened by the CEOE International Director General, Narciso Casado; the Director General of International Trade and Investment of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Alicia Varela; and the International Director of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, Jaime Montalvo.
Casado said that Argentina is a strategic market for Spain, as there are currently more than 300 Spanish companies operating there, especially SMEs. In this regard, he mentioned the “important role” played by business organisations, both CEOE and its Argentinean counterpart, UIA, in working on long-term strategies.
In addition, he expressed his firm support for the signature of a trade agreement between the European Union and MERCOSUR, which would allow Spanish and Argentinean companies to operate in a market of more than 750 million consumers and which would “provide greater security and predictability to our economic relations”, he declared.
For her part, the Director General for International Trade and Investment of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Alicia Varela, stressed that, today, Spain is the second largest investor in Argentina, second only to the United States.
