Argentina and Hessen plan closer cooperation

On April 20, 2023, José Ignacio De Mendiguren, Argentina’s Secretary of Industry and Productive Development, met with Dr. Rainer Waldschmidt, CEO of Hessen Trade & Invest (HTAI), at the Consulate General of Argentina in Frankfurt. The discussion centered on Argentina’s economic plans and closer cooperation between the Latin American country and the German state of Hessen.

“Argentina is ready to be a partner to Hessen in Latin America,” said Secretary José Ignacio De Mendiguren. “The complementarities in the fields of energy transition and digitalization are priorities which need to be exploited. We look forward to further collaboration. The time is now.”

In an earlier meeting on April 13, Deputy Consul Esteban Carli sat down with HTAI’s Dr. David Eckensberger, Head of International Affairs, and Jonas Winkler, Head of Location Marketing & Investor Consulting. Mr. Carli shared the key points of Argentina’s economic expansion plans, including the country’s position as a supplier of hydrogen and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Another topic included Argentinian startups, which the country intends to focus on more and help expand toward Europe, especially in the IT sector. Geographically the focal point will be Barcelona, which has a tech hub and no language barrier.

However, the parties also recognize that the German market harbors potential for young Argentinian companies. In early June, TechQuartier Frankfurt, a network of more than 600 startups, will explore the potential of satellite technology from Argentinian startups in the local space industry. The opportunity to connect with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the ESA Business Incubation Center in Darmstadt is especially exciting. In return, German Accelerator will establish a location in Buenos Aires aimed at making it easier for German startups to enter the Argentinian market.