Uruguay presented in Berlin as Latin America's business hub

Within the framework of the visit to Germany of a delegation led by the Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining, Guillermo Moncecchi, Uruguay XXI promoted the advantages of investing in the country and its exportable offer of quality in events in the cities of Hannover and Berlin.

On Thursday, April 4, the forum "Uruguay Experience: The Business Hub in Latin America" was held in the German capital, organized by Uruguay XXI and the Embassy of Uruguay in Germany, which brought together investors interested in investing in the country, German chambers of commerce and journalists.

During the event, the Minister of Industry, Guillermo Moncecchi, highlighted Uruguay's positioning as a gateway to the region and the advantages for investment: political and social stability, economic soundness, strategic access to an expanded market, facilities for doing business and an attractive regulatory framework for investors.

Moncecchi also referred to the country's leadership in the area of information technologies and renewable energies. "In recent years, Uruguay has completely transformed its energy matrix. Currently, 98% of electricity generation comes from renewable sources," he said.

Uruguay's policies on renewable energy and its leadership in this area were the points highlighted by Mark Heinzel, responsible for Latin America at the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce. "Uruguay is a country from which we can learn," he said.

Aram Sander, director in Uruguay of Enercon, a German company, highlighted the advantages that led the company to settle in the country. "Legal certainty was one of the fundamental factors, as well as talent," he said.

The event also promoted Uruguay as a supplier of reliable and quality food through a tasting of Uruguayan cuisine that included meats and wines. The activity ended with a show by the Uruguayan composer and ambassador of the country's brand, Uruguay Natural, Luciano Supervielle.

On Tuesday, April 2, the event "Why Uruguay? Opportunities in the industrial and energy sector", in which the Minister of Industry and the president of ANCAP, Marta Jara, were presented. The activity, organized by Uruguay XXI, the Ministry of Industry and ANCAP, was held within the framework of participation in Hannover Messe, the largest industrial fair in the world, where Jara participated in a forum on hydrogen.

During the official mission to Germany, the minister had meetings in Hannover with directors of German companies installed in Uruguay and the German Chamber of Commerce.

In Berlin, Moncecchi met with the Director General of the Ministry of Finance Jakob von Weizsäcker. At the same time, a working day was held with the Fraunhofer Institute, an international reference in applied research and a link between companies and the German innovation ecosystem, with which MIEM has signed four Memoranda of Understanding in the areas of industry 4.0, energy and information technologies. From this meeting it was agreed to advance in concrete projects and collaboration in automatic learning and computer vision.

There was also a visit to the EUREF campus, an important centre for the development of benchmark startups in the region.

Germany is a relevant commercial partner for Uruguay, as it is positioned among the top 10 destinations for Uruguayan exports and is the first destination for the country within Europe. There are currently 46 companies of German origin installed in Uruguay, mainly oriented to activities in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, transport and logistics, machinery, electricity, telecommunications and agribusiness.