• In a visit to London, Berlin and Milan, organized jointly with the investment promotion agency, the Public Works Minister will invite international companies and consortia to participate in the infrastructure program, which envisages 60 initiatives such as highways, hospitals, reservoirs tramways and cable cars.

Public Works Minister Juan Andrés Fontaine will be in Europe this week, promoting the government’s concessions portfolio and inviting international companies and consortia to participate in it. The program of the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) envisages 60 initiatives, representing projects for a total of US$14,600 million to be implemented by 2023, and includes highways, hospitals, reservoirs, tramways and cable cars.

“President Sebastián Piñera has asked us to spearhead a powerful plan of infrastructure concessions worth US$14,600 million, which we believe it is very important for international investors to know about so they can participate in the tenders. It involves key projects for economic development and job creation and to improve the quality of life of our citizens,” said Minister Fontaine.

“We are very motivated with this visit because we know that Chile is recognized in Europe as a safe and stable country that offers good opportunities for investors. In a global context in which multinationals are expanding and diversifying their investments, Chile stands out as a good gateway to Latin America,” he explained.

During his tour of Europe, Minister Fontaine will be accompanied by InvestChile’s Head of Promotion, Ian Frederick, with whom he will participate in meetings and investment workshops with multinationals, public institutions and financial funds in England, Germany and Italy.

InvestChile’s Ian Frederick, stressed that the agency’s direct relationship with overseas investors reflects a growing and constant interest in the opportunities offered by Chile. “Several of the companies on this agenda are already implementing projects in Chile, such as Brookfield, Atlantia and Salini, while others are beginning to form part of our infrastructure sector as in the case of the UK’s John Laing, which is already established in Chile but has yet to develop projects,” he pointed out.

Today, Monday, June 10, and tomorrow, Minister Fontaine will hold a business workshop and meetings in London with more than 20 companies and investment banks at which he will provide details of the opportunities offered by the project portfolio as well as the advantages of investing in a market like Chile. The companies attending these activities include InfraRed, Aberdeen, Vamed Health Projects UK, Global Infrastructure Partners and Brookfield.

Then, on Wednesday, June 12, Minister Fontaine will travel to Berlin to lead a public-private dialogue about the new business outlook in Chile as regards the development of infrastructure. The President of the German Construction Industry Federation, Hans-Joachim Bliss, and Chile’s Ambassador to Germany, Cecilia Mackenna, will also participate in this activity.

On Thursday, June 13, Minister Fontaine will arrive in Milan where he will have meetings with LIDE, a network that brings together more than 3,600 businesspeople and managers of Italian companies, and with a group of companies and consortia that include Atlantia and Intinera.

Finally, on Friday, June 14 – also in Milan – he will meet with representatives of Intesa Sanpaolo, ANCE and Pizzarotti.

This visit to Europe follows the visits undertaken by Minister Fontaine at the end of October last year to promote the concessions portfolio among businesspeople in Asia, including Japan, Singapore and China.