The European Union presented the winning partnership projects following the Second Call of Component 1 of the AL-INVEST Verde programme. This presentation took place during the Expo Rural 2024, an event organised by the Sociedad Rural Argentina that promotes livestock and agriculture in the city of Buenos Aires.
The AL-INVEST Verde programme, funded by the European Commission, promotes sustainable growth and job creation in Latin America. To this end, more than two million dollars have been granted to finance projects in Argentina's productive sector.
The Vice-President of the Argentine Rural Society, Marcos Pereda, welcomed the agreement and was proud of it, explaining that "... the agreement was a great success.We are facing a major challenge to enter the European market from the regulations that come into force in 2025."The EU Regulation 2023/1115 regulates imports according to certain sustainability standards. As well as Regulation 956/2023 (Border Carbon Adjustment Mechanism) which states that importers must pay for the emissions contained in certain products in order to avoid carbon leakage. This could increase the price of imported goods that are not made in a sustainable way.
For her part, EU Head of Cooperation Ilse Cougé said: "... the European Union has a long history of cooperation with the EU.It is an opportunity for collaboration between the European Union and Argentina."and reaffirmed the commitment of the economic bloc to continue working together with the country's private sector. Afterwards, the Commitment to Sustainability in the Private Sector in Argentina was signed by the aforementioned authority, the Undersecretary of Environment of the Nation, Ana Lamas, and the representatives of each of the projects, to give way to the presentation of all the works that have the financing of the entity of the Old Continent.
The first of the projects to be announced is coordinated by the Argentine Rural Society and was presented by Andrés Costamagna, Director of the Rural Society. It is a "Triple Impact Seal for Agricultural and Forestry Production in Argentina". The aim of the proposal is to promote diagnoses and certified environmental improvements. It aims to increase biodiversity, avoid deforestation, protect natural landscapes and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while improving their capture. To achieve this, a digital monitoring, reporting and verification system will be used. With this information, it will be possible to issue a certificate on the environmental impact of agricultural activity.
With the joint coordination of the Industrial Union of the Province of Buenos Aires, the ICBC Foundation and the Association of Industrial Technical Engineers of Valladolid, the second winning proposal focuses on "Regional Voluntary Actions for Climate Change Mitigation". The project presented by the Executive Director of UIPBA, María Laura Bermúdez, aims to train participating MSMEs and business organisations in sustainability, circular economy and green services. This action seeks to support MSMEs in the Buenos Aires region in the development of voluntary actions in line with the Provincial Response Plan of the National Climate Change Action and Mitigation Plan.
The third project, presented by Lucas Cepeda, focuses on "Verified sustainable forestry production" and will be coordinated by the Cultural Association for Integral Development (ACDI). The proposal seeks to provide traceability to the forestry-industrial value chain in Chaco for export. To this end, they will develop a digital platform based on blockchain to strengthen the control and traceability of the native forest value chain, within the framework of national legislation and international standards. The aim of the initiative is to enable SMEs in the Chaco to integrate into legal, deforestation-free supply chains in order to increase their competitiveness and reach international markets.
Finally, "Agro Sostenible", the proposal of Guillermo Garcia and Fernanda Feiguin focuses on environmental management and resource efficiency in the agricultural sector in Argentina. Coordinated by the Asociación Argentina de Consorcios Regionales de Experimentación Agrícola, the project is based on four axes: Awareness and Training, Realisation of tools, Establishment of the GAC and Agreements for co-creation. The aim of the initiative is to encourage agricultural producers to be efficient in the use of resources, ensuring sustainability in food production and value chains.
The importance of carrying out these initiatives lies in the fact that, in the event of not doing so, Argentina could lose an extremely important market such as Europe.Marking increasingly embraces the environmental agenda". The countries of the Union are carrying out a strong environmental protection policy and our country has to adapt to the new measures if it does not want to be left out of the international market.Steps such as the signing of this agreement is looking to the future"..
About AL-INVEST Verde
AL-INVEST Verde is a European Union programme whose main objective is to promote sustainable growth and job creation in Latin America by supporting the transition towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient and more circular economy. Through Component 1, the programme manages funds for the implementation of innovative projects of small business associations to boost sustainable practices in the private sector. Component 1 is led by sequa, a German non-profit organisation operating worldwide with the aim of promoting the private sector.
For more information visit: www.alinvest-verde.eu
