On 23 March, at the Mexican Embassy, Wallonia Export-Investment Agency and its Mexican equivalent, ProMexico, signed an ambitious partnership agreement. The two agencies have agreed to materialise a series of combined actions covering the 2017-2018 period.
Pascale Delcomminette, Administrator General of Wallonia Export-Investment Agency, and Alfonso Mojica Navarro, Pro-Mexico representative in Belgium, signed this agreement in the presence of the Mexican Ambassador, Eloy Cantú Segovia.
This combined action plan mainly aims to promote a closer relationship between both economic operators. Thus, Walloon competitiveness clusters and their industrial members, as well as their Mexican counterparts, are at the heart of the project. The activities planned will follow, as a priority, sectors such as aeronautics, life sciences, agri-food, environmental technologies, logistics and digital. By favouring inter-enterprise joint ventures, technology transfers and combined investments, the two agencies will jointly organise seminars designed to inform enterprises about export opportunities and bilateral investments, as well as business matchmaking (in particular during major international shows in Mexico and Europe), commercial missions and the reception of delegations.
Why renew an agreement today that was already signed in 2009?
Because "Mexico, the country that serves as a junction between North and South America, is also at a crossroads in view of the new situation in Washington. Wallonia is also at a crossroads in Europe: the conclusion of a stronger relationship is a must" explains Pascale Delcomminette, Administrator General of Wallonia Export-Investment Agency. "We want to modernise this tool that already works very well but which deserves to be improved,” according to Eloy Cantù Segovia, the Mexican Ambassador. The head of ProMexico, Alfonso Mojica Navarro adds: "We are very happy to sign a new agreement with Wallonia Export-Investment Agency that updates the 2009 agreement, proof of our excellent friendship. We know the competitiveness clusters and we know that there are reciprocities such as in the IT, automobile and aeronautical and aerospatial sectors". Pascale Delcomminette explains that "exports from Wallonia to Mexico leapt by 32% in 2015 and almost doubled over the first nine months of 2016". Our Mexican imports have also shown strong and constant growth over the past few years. "In 2016, Mexico became our main supplier in Latin America, ahead of Brazil".
Recent developments in Wallonia in multimodal logistics infrastructure (such as the Trilogiport) are of interest to our Mexican partners with a view to the expansion of their agri-food exports to the European continent. Bearing in mind that Mexico is in the process of negotiating the modernisation of its trade agreement with the EU, Pascale Delcomminette wanted to "reassure the Ambassador and ProMexico's representative that Wallonia is open to a stronger relationship with Mexico and that our Latinam Welcome Office is available to Mexican companies wishing to test the European market from Wallonia".
