Minister of Economy, Development and Tourism and Mining, Daniel Mas Valdés, met with the Executive Committee of the Confederation of Production and Commerce (CPC) on March 18 to outline his initial management plans. The meeting was attended by leaders from Chile’s main business associations, who discussed ways to recover economic growth and improve quality of life for Chileans.
The discussion focused on the urgent need to boost economic activity in order to achieve social progress. Mas said, “Each branch of the CPC committed to providing us with ideas during these four years of presidency and we will keep our doors open so that we can work towards the same goal.”
Mas highlighted that he had also met with small business groups, emphasizing a broad approach to economic recovery. He stated, “We had a very good meeting with the CPC and all its branches. We were able to talk about President Kast’s guidelines: getting the country growing again, generating social progress, and ensuring that this progress reaches people.”
Deputy Minister Karlfranz Koehler also attended the meeting. He said there is full agreement that Chile needs urgent economic reactivation. “We highlight the commitment of the business sector in providing concrete proposals because only through joint work can we return to a path of growth,” Koehler said.
CPC president Susana Jiménez Schuster thanked Mas for the invitation and described it as a “very interesting” conversation. She said it was a meeting “with objectives aligned around how to grow again, generate employment, and attract more investment.” Jiménez Schuster added that future meetings would focus on “how to revitalize this economy.” Other topics discussed included sectoral issues such as service exports, illicit economies, regulatory matters like PROT regulations, fisheries law reforms, Afide legislation, and consumer protection agency issues.
Rosario Navarro, president of Sofofa (Society for Industrial Development), commented that business leaders raised concerns about permits and how best to promote growth and investment. She noted discussions on implementing sectoral project laws as key for unlocking investment.
Antonio Walker, president of the National Agriculture Society (SNA), stressed that private investment is crucial for Chile’s development given limited public funds. He said simplifying permit processes could help Chile return to 4% growth.
José Pakomio, president of the National Chamber of Commerce (CNC), praised the spirit of collaboration at the meeting: “We have joined today by putting forward proposals but also solutions to these problems in this first official meeting with other CPC branches.”
Other presidents attending included Jorge Riesco from Sonami (National Mining Society), Alfredo Echavarría from CChC (Chilean Chamber of Construction), and José Manuel Mena from Abif (Association of Banks and Financial Institutions).
The broader implication is an ongoing dialogue between government officials and major business groups aimed at finding practical solutions for accelerating investment and returning Chile’s economy to sustained growth.
