Lecture introduces São Paulo to Austrian companies
Promoted by the investment promotion agency of Austria, event brings together 25 companies to discuss opportunities in Brazil and Latin America
Investe São PauloThe president of Investe São Paulo, Luciano Almeida, presented on Thursday, March 13, investment opportunities in the state of São Paulo to Austrian and Brazilian companies that attended to the Austria Connect South America. Sponsored by Advantage Austria, the investment promotion agency of the Austrian Government, the event was held in Guarujá and is part of a program that ends this Friday, the 14th.
"When we look at the state's participation in trade relations between Brazil and Austria, it is clear that the largest partner of Austrian companies in Brazil is São Paulo", said Almeida in his presentation. According to the data presented, the State is responsible for 47% of bilateral trade with the European country, having moved USD 711 million in 2013.
Representatives of 25 Austrian companies attended the conference organized by Advantage Austria to gather Austrian directors and investors who seek to expand their business in Latin America. The event was conducted by the Commercial Consul of Austria in Brazil, Ingomar Lochschmidt and the greetings to participants were made by Ambassador of Austria in Brazil, Marianne Feldmann.
The marketing director of the agency, David Bachmann, held a lecture on the prospects for the economy of Austria as of 2014, highlighting the opportunities in the South American continent.
The morning program also included presentations of the President of Conselho de Empresários da América Latina (CEAL), Ingo Plögger, on the chances and risks for foreign companies in Brazil, and of the specialist in international taxation of PwC Philippe Jeffrei about the new Brazilian tax benchmark.
In the second part of the event, a discussion panel was held with regional representatives of Advantage Austria from São Paulo, Chile, Bogotá, Buenos Aires and Austria. The Director of the United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Carlos Mussi, also participated. Moderated by Josef Hofer, director of the Austrian Agency for the Americas, executives discussed the chances for the Austrian economy in South America.
In the late afternoon, the present companies participated in workshops with the legal law firms Pacheco Neto, Stüssi Neves Advogados, Florence Advogados and Fröhlingsdorf Abogados Associados. There was also a talk with the Santander group.
On Friday, the participants of the mission are to make a tour through the Port of Santos, where they will be guided on how the country's logistics system works. They will go through terminals of soy, corn, salt, fertilizer, ethanol and cars.