Argentina

Political relations

As a G20 member and OECD candidate, Argentina is one of France’s major partners in Latin America, and accounts for its 13th-largest trade surplus worldwide. Our long-standing, diversified and high-quality relations, especially regarding science and culture, were further strengthened by the French President’s State visit to Argentina in February 2016 and President Macri’s visit to Paris in January 2018.

Economic relations

In 2017, Argentina was our fourth-largest trade partner in Latin America (with 7.6% of our trade flows in the region). Our trade surplus with Argentina stood at €587 million in 2017. In 2018 , France was Argentina’s eighth-largest supplier, mainly exporting technical, electric, electronic and IT equipment (22%), chemicals, perfumes and cosmetics (15%) and transport equipment (41%). For the first time in eight years, a delegation of 32 French businesses visited Argentina in September 2016 under the auspices of MEDEF International.

France ranks second among European investors (foreign direct investment stock of US $3 billion) and some 250 French groups are present or represented – including 27 from the CAC40 – employing some 50,000 people. There is a significant French presence in several sectors: the agrifood industry (Danone, Lesaffre, Louis Dreyfus), the automotive industry (PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault), hydrocarbon production (Total), retail (Carrefour, Casino), the tourism and hotel industry (Accor), health (Sanofi, Servier, etc.), cosmetics (L’Oréal, Pierre Fabre), and transport (Alstom).