Jessica Luna warns about lack of leadership in the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Jessica Luna, who recently held the position of executive director of the Foreign Trade Society of Peru (ComexPeru), has expressed her concern about the lack of leadership and direction in the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), highlighting that the tourism sector has only managed to recover 57% of its pre-pandemic levels. In an interview with El Comercio during the Day 1 Summit, Luna pointed out that while the foreign trade sector shows signs of recovery, there are still significant challenges, such as the infrastructure of regional airports. Regarding the management of the MEF under the leadership of José Arista, Luna highlighted the weakness of the Peruvian economy, the lack of private investment projects, the precariousness of the labor market, and the increase in poverty as some of the challenges to be faced. In this context, Luna criticized the lack of a MEF with leadership, capable of articulating with other sectors to promote private investment as a tool to generate employment and reduce poverty in the country. One of the concerns raised by Luna was the request for legislative powers by the MEF, arguing that the proposal lacked concrete measures to promote private investment and simplify the regulatory framework. Likewise, Luna warned about the advance of populism in economic decisions and the institutional deterioration that has been evident in recent months, such as the departure of Carlos Oliva from the Fiscal Council, which, according to Luna, represented a missed opportunity to reaffirm the commitment to fiscal discipline. Regarding the executive committees, Luna mentioned the importance of these public-private articulation spaces led by the MEF to identify and remove barriers to private investment. However, she pointed out that the recent departure of four key members of these teams represents a loss of talent that may be difficult to recover, which could affect the effectiveness of these instances in the future. Regarding exports and agro-exports, Luna highlighted the resilience of Peruvian foreign trade during the past year despite the challenges, and expressed optimism about the expected growth for this year. She also emphasized the importance of seizing the opportunity presented by the next edition of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) to promote investments, boost trade, and tourism in the country. Regarding the tourism sector, Luna acknowledged that the recovery has been partial and that it is necessary to implement clear and ambitious strategies to stimulate its growth. In this sense, she mentioned the positive changes in the direction of Promperú and in tourism promotion as important steps to achieve a stronger recovery in this sector. Finally, Luna emphasized the need to advance in road infrastructure projects to improve the connectivity and competitiveness of the country, highlighting the importance of the concession of regional airports as an opportunity to boost tourism and generate employment in these areas. In summary, Luna highlighted the importance of having a strong and proactive MEF that leads the economic reactivation and promotes private investment as a driving force for development in Peru.