Mulino Met with French Companies Interested in Investing in Panama

On his second day in France, the President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, met Monday, October 21 in Paris with the first group of French companies interested in developing projects and investing in Panama. He held meetings with representatives of major multinationals such as Veolia, Suez, Alstom and Thales, the Presidency said.  They showed interest in specific sectors such as drinking water production, waste treatment, energy, and railway projects.  During the day of meetings, Mulino spoke with Veolia’s Vice President for Strategy and Innovation, Sébastien Daziano, as well as the company’s project director, Pierre Maurin.  Veolia is a French company that is a world leader in ecological transformation. It is present on five continents with nearly 220,000 employees. The group designs and implements water, waste and energy management solutions. 

Mulino also spoke with Alstom’s general manager for Latin America, Bernad Peille, and the company’s director of institutional relations, Philippe Delleur.  Alstom is a French corporation focused on the business of electricity generation and the manufacturing of trains and ships.  The Panamanian president also met with Sabrina Soussan, president and general director of the Suez Group; Pierre Pauliac, director of Water; Fabrice Bouchetiel, CEO of Latin America, and Eric Ghebali, executive vice president of Development, the Panamanian Presidency said in a statement.  Suez is a French group that operates mainly in the water treatment, waste management and maintenance sectors.  

The President also met with representatives of Thales, Jean-Noel Bonnieu, Vice President of International Relations; Federique Miller, Vice President of Sales; Gordon Sarlet, Director of Business Development for Central America; Garriguenc Madige, Director of Offers; and Andreani Ariane, Director of Central America.  The Thales Group is a French electronics company dedicated to the development of information systems and services for the aerospace, transportation, defense and security markets.  “A country that is removed from discriminatory lists will be increasingly attractive to foreign investment, even more so when there is an open and transparent government. We are beginning a process of positive change that will allow us to generate confidence in investors,” said Mulino. 

The president landed in Paris on Sunday, October 20, as part of his official tour seeking the support of the French government to get off the European Union (EU) list of tax havens.  He is accompanied by a delegation made up of Camilo Valdés, Director General of Revenue and expert on the subject of tax lists; Milton Ayón, Superintendent of Banks; Javier Martínez Acha, Foreign Minister; Miguel Antonio Bernal, Ambassador Designate in France, and Carlos Raúl Moreno, President of the Action Group for International Financial Equality (GAFIPI).