This Tuesday, the Uruguay-Nordic Countries Chamber of Commerce held a negotiation seminar and networking, in which different companies from that European region presented their business models that work in Uruguay, in the areas of mobility, construction and mobility. The objective of the event -which took place in the Telecommunications Tower- is encourage investment between countries, contributing to the care of the environment.
The event was attended by the director of the Planning and Budget Office (OPP), isaac alfiethe Minister of the Environment, Adrian Pena, and the Norwegian ambassadors, Lars Vaagen; from Finland, Kirsi Vanamo-Santacruz; from SwedenAndres Hernandez and DenmarkSoren Vohtz.
All the diplomats emphasized in stimulating the relations between the countries, through the development of businesses in an ecological way.
“The Nordic countries are in the top 10 of the first countries in the world in terms of sustainability and there are many interesting experiences to tell and Uruguay is also working hard in this line,” said Mario Amelotti, president of the Uruguay-Nordic Countries Chamber.
Amelotti pointed out that work is being done so that companies linked to the digital economy and sustainable mobility land in Uruguay, although he did not offer further details about it. “The largest investments that have arrived in Uruguay in recent years are from the Nordic countries: UPM, Montes del Plata, with investments of more than 3 billion dollars.”
For his part, Alfie explained that “Uruguay made the decision not to stray from the objectives set for 2030 and ratified its route to have neutral (carbon) emissions by 2050. The challenges are very important, especially poverty and inequality; the climate and sustainable production”.
“Uruguay has four major benchmarks: progress in its innovative economygenerating quality employment and guaranteeing the sustainability of its development; transform state institutions to make them more efficient, rendering accounts to the citizens; develop policies that ensure quality education, social protection and health for its inhabitants; and move towards a society that promote the development of people’s rights”, he elaborated.
“Of all this, in reality, our key is in the education system and education. Inequalities are practically impossible to compensate for if there is no equality in education, but there are great opportunities”, asserted the director of the OPP.
“Uruguay has advanced, above all, in renewable energy” and “in the area of transport and mobility”. In this sense, he added: “Uruguay has a plan to progressively move towards electric and renewable energy”, with, for example, “incentives for the purchase of electric cars”.
Meanwhile, the Minister of the Environment, Adrián Peña, highlighted the importance of approaching environmental care from “scientific, technical, but also from the point of view of investments“.
Peña explained that the priorities for the Ministry lie in improving the quality and access to drinking water, sanitation, waste, climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development.
Leonardo Carreno
Minister of the Environment, Adrián Peña
In that sense, Peña explained that the ministry is carrying out the Arazatí project designed to enhance “water quality.” The initiative is to supply drinking water to the Metropolitan Area, which is taken and made drinkable in the department of San José. The The investment to carry out the project is US$300, said Peña, who also said that Environment will advance it soon.
In terms of quality, he assured that the Ministry has worked to have 80% of the effluents monitored in real time and hopes to continue along these lines.
Regarding sanitation, there is a proposal for “universalize sanitation”, to bring the service to 50 localities in the first stagewhose investment amount is US$ 300 million, although the overall project is US$ 900 million to be completed in 12 years.
