MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay confident in EU-sponsored sustainable energy matrix program

Technology and knowledge require a legal framework providing certainty and stability, Paganini argued

Uruguay's Industry Minister Omar Paganini highlighted the AL-Invest Verde program for its ambitiousness regarding sustainable development which will position the South American country as a regional innovation hub.

 The AL-Invest Verde initiative is funded by the European Union. Its main goal is to promote sustainable growth and job creation in Latin America and thus support the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient, and circular economy, according to the Torre Ejecutiva website.

The plan seeks to make effective use of intellectual property assets to contribute to the improvement of an enabling framework in Mercosur to stimulate innovation and facilitate sustainable growth and job creation.

Paganini also highlighted the importance of Intellectual Property Rights during his speech at AL-Invest Verde's launching ceremony in Montevideo, which he found were linked to sustainable growth.

The Uruguayan government, through the National Directorate of Industrial Property (DNPI), is one of the partners associated with the project, as are the Intellectual Property offices of the other Mercosur members, in addition to Chile and other countries in the region.

The Industry Ministry and the Uruguayan Agency for International Cooperation were also involved in AL-Invest Verde's arrival in Montevideo.

Paganini said that the administration of President Luis Lacalle Pou was focused on innovation to promote technological and social development so as to position the country as a regional milestone.

The minister also pointed out that, in view of the climate change and sustainability challenges ahead, this issue carried a special weight. He also admitted that the country's change to a more sustainable alternative in its energy matrix was made possible by the early adoption of technologies, which allowed 97% of the country's electricity supply to stem from renewable sources.

Paganini also said that future initiatives in a circular economy, sustainability, green hydrogen, and biotechnology applied to improving the environmental impact of production chains and digital technology will be closely linked to intellectual property.

The official also recalled that the government recently launched the Uruguay Innovation Hub program, a public-private inter-institutional initiative that seeks to position the country as an innovative ecosystem in three areas: digital technology, biotechnology, and health and green technology.

Hence, technology and knowledge, as intangible assets, require a legal framework providing certainty and stability. “The development of intellectual property rights is key and strategic,” Paganini explained.

Also attending the ceremony was European Union Ambassador Paolo Berizzi, and the representative for International Cooperation of the European Union Intellectual Property Office, Ignacio de Medrano.