April 11, 2026 – 15:22
In the first meeting that the new Minister of Economy, Óscar Lovera, held with the construction sector unions, he promised to move forward with a short-term payment schedule that will allow them to honor late commitments that are around US$350 million, although the MEF has not yet clarified how they are going to cover these commitments.
He Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) cWith its new head, Óscar Lovera, he resumed conversations with representatives of the construction sector to develop a schedule that will allow the State to settle pending commitments, the magnitude of which would be around US$350 millionaccording to the information released after the meeting that took place this Saturday at the MEF premises, where Minister Claudia Centurión, of the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC), also participated.
The financial crisis in the sector construction It is aggravated by the lack of payments from the State, which accumulates some US$ 200 million in unpaid certificates and close to US$ 110 million in interest due to delays in disbursements. As a consequence, at least six companies have already resorted to calling for creditors and there are currently 17 public works paralyzed.
Regarding the transfer of rights, it is a path that they are considering, so that the financial sector can advance payments to contractors in exchange for receiving interest; and in that sense, the construction companies seek that the State be the one to assume these rates. But since the payment of interest is not in the budget, the issue must necessarily be raised through a law.
According to what was reported by the MEF press department after this meeting, the immediate objective is to build a “roadmap” that orders payments and restores predictability for companies that expect late payments.
Read more: New head of the MEF: Builders celebrate the news and expect proactivity
Move forward with payment schedule
The Government stated that it will advance “in the short term” with a payment schedule to honor the debt accumulated with the sector. However, until now there is one central point that remains unclear: how the MEF will cover those commitmentssince it is tied to the convergence plan, of returning to the limit of the budget’s fiscal deficit at 1.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for this period.
Lovera emphasized the official willingness to maintain dialogue with the unions and channel an understanding with the sector. The Government seeks “build responsible solutions” that allow obligations to be met without neglecting “efficiency in the management of public resources”they pointed out from the press.
In turn, the MOPC minister, Claudia Centurionplaced the debt as an immediate priority and stated that the Government seeks to convey tranquility about the fulfillment of the commitments made with the companies.
Improve execution to reactivate works
At the same time, he indicated that another of the points discussed was based on the need to improve MOPC budget execution in the coming months to reactivate works.
According to Centurión, the reactivation is key since it will allow, first of all, job creation and benefits for citizens derived from the advancement of infrastructure projects.
Read more: These are the priorities of the MEF, according to new minister Óscar Lovera
During the meeting, the analysis of the budget execution projection of the MOPC for the short term, as part of the effort to organize the flow of payments and restart the pace of works, as reported by the MEF communications department.
