Cooperation agreement between the Catalan government and the Buenos Aires provincial government

The Catalan government and the provincial government of Buenos Aires, in a process promoted by ORU Fogar, of which both are members, have signed a collaboration agreement in areas of mutual interest. The President of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, and the Governor of the province, Axel Kicillof, have made the agreement official in a signing ceremony held at the governmental headquarters of the province, in La Plata. "With this agreement, the province of Buenos Aires becomes the gateway to Latin America for Catalonia", emphasised President Aragonès. The agreement will strengthen cooperation between the two territories and lay the foundations for building a stable and lasting relationship over time.

The Catalan President explained that it is a cooperation agreement "in diverse areas, such as scientific research, industrial production, ports, culture and social policies". He stressed that Catalonia and Buenos Aires have a similar productive structure. "They are two regions with clear industrial vocation, with international leadership and openness, and with many possibilities for the future”. The President added. "At a time of change in the global economy, it is very important to strengthen this cooperation between territories like ours".

Similarly, Governor Kicillof said that "this agreement is the first step towards working in the areas of interest that we consider important, based on the similar productive profiles that we share". After the bilateral meeting with President Aragonés, the governor said that "we have had in-depth and important conversations on issues on the agenda of both Catalonia and Buenos Aires". He added, “we think the steps taken by the agreement to carry out its work in areas that are very relevant to our province are very important”.

For the Catalan government, the signed agreement is an example of the type of cooperation it hopes to establish with Latin American actors: consolidating existing historical ties and providing them with a stable, lasting and productive framework. In this sense, Pere Aragonès stated that the Government's commiment to the future is to "continue to implement the agreement and strengthen the level of relations between the two territories, which have a long-standing shared history".

The agreement, which will serve as an umbrella for future projects, will promote collaboration in areas such as vocational training, cultural industries, Industry 4.0, science, technology, research and innovation, etc. It also provides for the establishment of a Joint Committee as a permanent space for cooperation, which will meet every two years. The agreement is valid for 4 years and will be automatically renewed for 2-year periods, with a maximum of 4 years.