The Mercosur mission kicks off in Argentina, with 1,300 business meetings

BUENOS AIRES – Energy, digital technologies, machinery and plant engineering, pharmaceuticals and medical technology, and agri-food. These sectors are the focus of the business mission to Argentina and Brazil, organised by Confindustria and ICE-Agenzia, which got underway yesterday in Buenos Aires – the first such mission organised by a European country in the region since the approval of the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur. The aim is to usher in a new phase in business relations between the two countries, particularly with the region’s two leading economies, going beyond simply increasing exports to lay the foundations for new industrial partnerships and value chains.

The business delegation is led by the president of Confindustria, Emanuele Orsini. Politics plays a crucial role: the Foreign Secretary, Antonio Tajani, is heading the government mission; he will be supporting the businesses and is due to meet the Argentine President, Javier Milei, this morning. The entire national system dedicated to internationalisation has mobilised, with Sace and Simest also involved. The Minister for Education, Giuseppe Valditara, will also be on the mission. Representatives from the banking and financial sectors will be present too, including Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and the Italian Banking Association, which yesterday emphasised the importance of supporting the challenge of internationalisation.

“We sow the seeds to reap the rewards in the future. This mission began on 23 April with the arrival in Rome of the four presidents of the Mercosur business organisations. We believed in this mission right from the start: we hope it will deliver the results needed to commercialise the best technologies and forge both industrial and socio-economic partnerships,” said Confindustria’s president, Orsini.

The opportunities emerging in the country involve both large companies and SMEs, as part of a supply chain approach. The Argentine government’s objectives include strengthening the energy sector. The Rigi programme (Incentive Scheme for Major Investments) has been launched, targeting key sectors such as energy, oil and gas mining, infrastructure and steel, to attract investments of at least 200 million dollars by offering tax benefits. The ‘Super Rigi’ scheme, which focuses on lithium batteries, artificial intelligence and data centres, is also in the process of being approved.

Central to this strategy is the Vaca Muerta field, in terms of oil, gas and lithium. The field holds resources that exceed the Argentine market’s absorption capacity. Infrastructure is needed to realise this potential. This scenario opens up opportunities for our companies, within a supply chain framework. “The Milei government has decided to focus on developing mining and gas potential; for us, this presents positive opportunities for collaboration,” comments Aurelio Regina, Confindustria’s Vice-President for Energy. The planned investments in Vaca Muerta, explains Regina, amount to around 20 billion dollars across extraction and logistics. This could create 20,000 jobs; procurement of supplies is expected to total 15 billion dollars; and, once fully operational, LNG exports will reach 10 billion dollars a year. He adds that several major Italian companies are involved, including Eni, Techint (with Tecpetrol), Bonatti and Maire Tecnimont. “We are honoured that Argentina is once again at the centre of attention. I believe that the alignment between Argentina’s and Italia’s needs can create a range of opportunities,” said Andrea Rocca, President of Energy Transition at Tecpetrol.