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Argentinia
Greetings
Congratulations
to iconvienna 2017
H.E. Rafael Mariano Grossi
Ambassador of Argentinia to Austria
It is an honour to welcome the 13 th iconvienna, Central
Europe’s prominent investment forum, and refer
to my country’s economy and investment opportunities.
The Argentine Republic has strong fundamentals,
which underpin its potential to become a regional
economic engine. It is the third largest Latin
American economy, after Brazil and Mexico; the
fourth most populous country in the region, with 43
million inhabitants; and the world’s eighth largest
country in terms of territory, encompassing diverse
climates and terrains.
Argentina boasts a wealth of varied and available
natural resources: 53 % of agricultural land; abundant
reserves of oil, gas, minerals and water; and optimal
conditions for the development of wind, solar,
biomass and hydro power. The country is also rich
in human capital, ranking first in Latin America’s
Human Development Index and exhibiting an educational
attainment comparable to emerging economies
in East Asia and Central and Eastern Europe.
The Macri Administration has undertaken a
comprehensive program to reform the economy and
realize its potential. Key initiatives include: removing
capital controls and repatriation restrictions;
resolving defaulted debt; regaining access to global
financial markets; removing export taxes and import
restrictions; implementing a government e-platform
for tenders; setting up a Public-Private Partnership
(PPP) regulatory framework; relaunching the National
Statistics Bureau (INDEC); and establishing a
4-year plan to eliminate primary fiscal deficit.
Argentine GDP growth, currently over 2.7 %, is
expected to be strong in the next years. There are investment
opportunities in all regions of the country
and in all sectors of the economy, with renewable
energies being one of the most promising. Marking
a relevant milestone, Act 27.191 was passed in 2015,
setting forth that 20 % of energy must be produced
from renewable sources by 2025. Subsequently, the
RenovAR Program was launched in 2016, calling
for a Public Tender Process for contracts with the
wholesale electricity market (MEM) aimed at generating
electrical power from renewable sources. RenovAR
Rounds 1 and 1.5 have been very successful,
with Round 2 expected to launch in Q2 2017. I invite
you to join in the country’s development in a context
of rapid growth and concrete opportunity.
Foto: Embassy of Argentinia
The European Business and Investment Magazine iconannual 21