The Argentine Business Association (AEA) held its postponed annual meeting, where it took advantage of the presentation to the public of five new partners to reiterate their complaints to the Government for the attack of the ruling party on the Supreme Court of Justice and for the economic direction. It was in a formal meeting, without debates, although with multiple questions about the political scenario and the possibilities of the former president’s participation. Mauricio Macri in the electoral arena. And although they did not present their recipe, the country’s big businessmen placed conditions on the design of the next government’s economic plan.
The conclave was held on the 24th floor of the Sheraton Retiro Hotel, where there was plenty of space for the 34 participants. There was a press release with strong criticism of the core of the government plan of the Frente de Todos, focused on the care of institutions and economic uncertainties; although However, There was no debate in this area regarding the drafting of the content of the trade union-business position.
“There was going to be no dissent, since we all thought like that. But we also did not know that he was going to have communicated “admitted one of the participants of the event, consulted by PROFILE. According to another source, the text was prepared in advance by the small board of the AEA leadership, where the owners of Techint weigh heavily, Paolo Roccaand Arcor, Louis Pagani; and the CEO of Clarín, Hector Magnetto.
Raise your voice for the government to listen
The exposure of these principles, with the annual meeting in the background, sought to generate a greater impact in the media and reach the table of central power through the newspapers, due to the lack of communication they maintain with the Government. It was not uncommon for the complaints to have been reiterated due to the lack of response to their proposals from Alberto Fernandez and national officials. AEA lost the ground it had gained during the Macri administration, between 2015 and 2019, when it was Cambiemos’ preferred union-businesswoman. In that period, the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA) had deepened their differences over the anti-industrial plan and left little room for the influence of Rocca and Pagani to improve relations.
The move by Sergio Massa and Miguel Pesce that was born out of fear of a dollarization plan by Together for Change
There were two presentations on Wednesday morning. First, for an hour, the journalist and columnist for the newspaper La Nación Carlos Pagni He drew an overview of the country’s political scene. There were few questions at the end, but the most resonant was: “Will Macri be a candidate?”. The businessmen left without having revealed the mystery to them, but they made it clear that it is one of their main concerns. In that room, Those who are waiting for the return of the former president to the Casa Rosada are distributed, those who bet on Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and those who encourage the chances of Patricia Bullrich.
There was a break, where they took the opportunity to take the protocol photo of the assembly, but it took time to share concerns. Although it became clear that the effect of drought and inflation were the economic issues that generated the most uncertainty in the Red Circle. That is where the second panel came in, whose analyst was the economist Ricardo Arriazu, who tried to get out of the situation to talk about the long-term challenges. The businessmen believe that this stage of the Fernández government is “finished” according to their expectations.
The annual assembly was scheduled, according to the AEA calendar, for September of last year, but it had to be postponed due to the attempted assassination of the vice president Cristina Kirchner. The option was to separate both facts to prevent a pronouncement in this regard from taking weight away from the complaints against the Government. In addition to Pagani, Rocca and Magnetto, participated, among others, Carlos J. Miguens (of the traditional Miguens Bemberg family), Federico Braun (La Anónima supermarkets), Luis Perez Companc (Río de La Plata mills), Enrique Cristofani (Santander Bank), Eduardo Elsztain (IRSA and Banco Hipotecario), Martin Migoya (globe), Charlie Blaquier (Ledesma), Pablo Roemmers (Laboratior Roemmers), y Aldo Roggio (Roggio Group).
Faced with the denouncement of proscription, a strong defense to the Court
“At the beginning of a decisive year for the life of our country, the businessmen members of AEA want to emphasize, first of all, that respect for the institutions of the Republic is a necessary condition for development. In particular – and within the framework of the 40 years of recovery of democracy – We underline the extraordinary relevance of the constitutional principle of the division of powers and of having an independent Justice”, the entity stressed in its press release.
On the economic level, he did not spare criticism either: “For long years we have lived with the scourge of high inflationcon deficits permanent in public accounts, with the absence of a respected domestic currencywith a very high and distorted tax burden on the formal sector, with permanent changes to the rules of the gamecon various exchange ratescon undue interference in the sphere of companies such as price controls, or the multiple restrictions related to foreign trade; just to name a few anomalies.”
“Proscription to hell”: the Cámpora will hold vigil in Courts to support Cristina Kirchner
The onslaught of large businessmen against the government’s relationship with Justice occurs in the prelude to the publication of the grounds for the conviction of Vice President Cristina Kirchner in the Viality case, where the prohibition to be a candidate to hold public office. He establishment He prays for his absence from the head of Kirchnerism at the top of the list of the Frente de Todos in the October presidential elections, in the midst of the denunciations of proscription made by that sector of the ruling party.
The economic plan of the Red Circle
He questioning the economy not only points against Massaone of the most competitive cards that the ruling party has, but also dismisses as invalid the state intervention system in the main regulations, as it happens with the price agreements, but also in the implementation of taxes. In that sense, AEA seemed to make headway with the report presented by the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA) on the tax pressure of the country prepared by the head of the entity’s Tax Department, Carlos Abeledowho is also the corporate director of the Techint Group.
And although the criticisms went to the heart of Kirchnerism, the country’s big companies also sent warning signals to the opposition. It happens that during the mandate of Cambiemos, the Precios Cuidados plan was maintained, which the government of Cristina Kirchner and, even, the tax reduction had its setback when the economic crisis affected the funds that the State needed to try to reverse the setback that, later, it would suffer in the 2019 elections.
“We are aware that in order to reverse these anomalies -which are unsustainable over time- and adopt virtuous economic policies like those that prevail in successful countries, Argentina must inevitably take on significant challenges. We are also clear that this It will require very arduous and rigorous political and technical work that will not admit improvisations.”, sentenced the press release.
AM / ED
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