Argentina Week Paris Summit: Milei Team Meets 12 Governors on 2027 Budget
ARGENTINA · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —The meeting Cabinet chief Diego Santilli met 12 provincial governors and Buenos Aires city head Jorge Macri in Paris on Wednesday 30 September 2026 (Clarín).
- —The agenda The 2027 budget, including spending on disability and universities, and the future of the PASO primary elections (Clarín).
- —The budget plan The draft, sent to Congress on 15 September, assumes 4% growth in 2027 and average inflation of 21.1% (Radio Mitre).
- —France Economy Minister Luis Caputo met French Economy Minister Roland Lescure on 30 September to discuss French investment in Argentina (Radio Mitre).
- —Still open The government has not said whether any deal with the governors was reached; its first target date for a lower-house budget vote is 4 November (Clarín).
Argentina Week Paris opens with a test at home: the government needs provincial governors to pass its 2027 budget and scrap primaries.
Argentina’s cabinet chief, Diego Santilli, met 12 provincial governors and the head of Buenos Aires city in Paris on 30 September 2026. They discussed the 2027 budget and electoral reform on the eve of Argentina Week Paris, a government forum to attract foreign investors.
Who sat at the table in Paris
Santilli coordinates the work of the cabinet for President Javier Milei. Economy Minister Luis Caputo and Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno joined him, together with French Economy Minister Roland Lescure, the newspaper Clarín reported.
The governors came from Entre Ríos, Chubut, Mendoza, Neuquén, Río Negro, Salta, Catamarca, Jujuy, San Juan, Chaco, Corrientes and Santa Cruz. Jorge Macri, head of government of the city of Buenos Aires, also attended.
Córdoba, the second most populous province, sent its vice-governor, Myrian Prunotto, Clarín reported. Milei had invited 13 governors to travel with him, according to Clarín and the broadcaster Radio Mitre.
Why the budget runs through the provinces
Officials at the Casa Rosada, the presidential palace, see the governors as key to building majorities in Congress, Radio Mitre reported. The photo of a broad delegation is meant to show that support before the budget talks.
The 2027 budget reached Congress on 15 September. Its central promise is a balanced budget, with a fourth straight year of financial surplus, Radio Mitre reported when Caputo presented it.
The draft assumes economic growth of 4% in 2027 and average inflation of 21.1%. It also assumes an average exchange rate of 1,728 pesos per US$1 and exports above US$130 billion.
To pass it, the government must still agree with governors on spending for disability programmes and public universities, Clarín reported. Its first plan was a vote in the Chamber of Deputies on 4 November.
The fight over primary elections
The second topic was electoral reform. Argentina holds compulsory open primaries, known as PASO, in which all parties pick candidates before each national election.
The government wants no primaries in 2027, or at least a suspension, to avoid political risk and cut public spending, Clarín reported. Electoral reform was already a central fight before the trip, as The Rio Times reported when Milei prepared the Paris trip.
Caputo and Lescure talk investment and the IMF
Caputo met Lescure on Wednesday together with Ian Sielecki, Argentina’s ambassador to France, Radio Mitre reported. They reviewed economic ties and ways to expand French investment in Argentina.
They also discussed France’s support for Argentina during its talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Radio Mitre said. Before the trip, Milei praised France for its help in those negotiations.
Caputo used the day to announce that Toyota has joined the RIGI, a regime of tax and customs benefits for large projects. The carmaker plans a US$1.341 billion plant in Zárate, in Buenos Aires province, Radio Mitre reported.
What the forum offers investors
The main event is on Thursday 1 October at the headquarters of the OECD, the Paris-based club of mostly rich economies. Milei is due to speak at 5:30 a.m. Argentina time, or 10:30 a.m. in Paris, Radio Mitre reported.
Executives from TotalEnergies, Eni, ADNOC, Glencore, Santander, Globant, Pampa Energía and YPF are expected. YPF, the state-controlled oil company, is seeking backers for its liquefied natural gas export project.
The governors brought mining, energy, oil and gas, farming, fishing and tourism projects, Radio Mitre reported. Many of those projects need large sums of foreign capital to get built.
Milei also meets French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace on Thursday, their first face-to-face meeting since June 2025. Friday’s sessions cover energy, critical minerals and nuclear power, plus a business round for Argentine fishing companies.
Between investor interest and domestic politics
The trip shows both sides of Argentina’s position. Foreign companies come to listen, but large projects also depend on rules that Congress has to approve, starting with the budget.
Domestic savings tell a similar story. Many Argentines still keep their savings in dollars outside local banks, a sign that trust is still being rebuilt at home.
The government has not said whether the governors agreed to anything in Paris. Their support will show only when the budget and the electoral reform reach a vote in Congress.
What comes next
Argentina Week Paris runs until Friday 2 October. After that, attention returns to Buenos Aires, where the budget debate continues in the Chamber of Deputies.
Investors will watch two signals in the weeks ahead. One is whether the budget passes on schedule; the other is whether the promised projects turn into signed contracts.
More: Argentina news, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Argentina Week Paris?
It is a government-organised forum held in Paris from 30 September to 2 October 2026 to present Argentine investment projects. It is the second edition, after a first one in New York.
Why did governors travel with President Milei?
They present projects from their provinces to foreign companies. The government also needs their support in Congress for the 2027 budget and for electoral reform.
What are the PASO primaries?
They are compulsory open primary elections in which all parties choose their candidates before national elections. The government wants to abolish or suspend them for the 2027 vote.
Sources: Clarín · Radio Mitre · Radio Mitre · Radio Mitre · Radio Mitre
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