Welcome to the Official page of the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic

I am very pleased to take part in the opening session of this Economic Forum, together with the President of the Republic of Poland, whom I greet for the opportune decision to bring with him, in this State Visit to Portugal, a relevant entrepreneurial delegation.

I also want to greet all those present for taking part in this encounter, opportunely promoted by the Lewiatan Polish Confederation of Private Employers and by the Portuguese Industrial Association. I am certain that the contacts achieved here will allow identifying new business opportunities that both countries’ entrepreneurs can and must seize.

I would be pleased, on this occasion, to underline three features that, in the context of the deepening of the economic collaboration between our two countries, seem to be especially relevant.

The first is relative to the material conditions of the European economy and of the World economy. The recessive period of the global economy, largely deriving from the 2008-2009 financial crisis, has not yet been fully overcome. The same can be stated of the sovereign debt crisis in the euro zone.

The conviction exists today, however, that the more negative factors that have marked these events are in effect being faced, even if with different degrees of determination and success, and that this trajectory will continue improving.

Historic evidence suggests that recessions resulting from grievous financial crises are, as a rule, deep, long standing and extremely destructive in terms of employment and living standards. Unfortunately this has once again been generally confirmed in the developed countries and, particularly, in Europe.

In the case of Portugal, the Adjustment Programme that we subscribed to is extraordinarily demanding, but the Portuguese Government has shown a firm determination and a clear drive in its compliance, within an environment in which it has been possible to keep to a relatively upstanding political and social dialogue. The first nine months of the Portuguese adjustment programme have been positively assessed, thus justifying the expectation that Portugal will achieve the necessary success.

In its turn, Poland has revealed itself as a singular case in the European economic area, being in fact the only country to avoid entering into recession, which should be pointed out as much as it is known that its neighbours and main business partners have faced an important slowing down in their economic activity. We have thus much to learn from the Polish experience and we are very clearly interested in understanding the progress that the Polish economy has been accumulating, since its successful processes of democratic transition and of joining the European Union.

The cultural affinity between our two peoples is outstanding, and developments in Poland have always been followed in Portugal with great interest. We have no doubts that Poland will become one of the largest economies in Europe and, in the future, in the Euro Zone.

The second feature that I wanted to point out is relative to the dissemination and valuation of the work that several Portuguese companies have been carrying out within Polish society, and which eloquently illustrates the opportunities offered for the strengthening of economic cooperation between our two countries.

Many of the entrepreneurs that accompanied me on my Visit to Poland in September 2008 are with us here today. Many of them increased, since then, their investments in Poland, taking advantage of the high growth indices of the Polish economy.

The activities of Portuguese companies in Poland cover several economic sectors in which Portugal has a deep-rooted entrepreneurial skill, such as the case with banking, distribution of food supplies and construction. The notoriously successful integration of the Portuguese and Polish entrepreneurial communities is anyway very significant and I would dare say that the mutual confidence between our two countries is particularly high.

The companies present here today are the living proof of the wealth of that economic integration and more, of cultural integration. There are today many Portuguese who speak Polish and many Poles that speak Portuguese.

The third message I wanted to leave with you is an alert to the importance that our two economies have in the European area and to the fact that we are currently going through a particularly opportune stage for Polish companies to look confidently upon the Portuguese economy and optimistically face investment opportunities in our country.

Such as Portuguese companies have been well received in Poland, Polish companies will be very welcome in Portugal. The Portuguese adjustment programme is evolving in line with what was foreseen and the international official bodies believe that we are committed to its success. This means that the future is promising for those who invest and carry out business in Portugal.

It is this message of hope and confidence in the future of the Portuguese economy that I want to share with you all. Portugal has always successfully overcome, and faster than estimated, its external financial crises. I am certain we shall be able to so once again.

Our links with the rest of the world, whether with Europe, with the USA or with the Portuguese speaking countries in America, in Africa or in Asia, is a guarantee of economic flexibility and an asset whose advantages Portugal will decisively strive for.

The quality of the political and diplomatic relationship between Portugal and Poland is more than ever equalled by the economic and entrepreneurial relations.

More than ever we have in Portugal a very receptive environment to entrepreneurial initiative and to foreign investment. We want to strengthen our links externally, increase our competitiveness and to be able to benefit from the ever greater diversified growth opportunities in the global economy and in European regions, such as Poland, where economic dynamism has been preponderant.

Portugal is driven to obtain the greatest possible benefit from the economic changes in process and we are aware that the more daring investors, heedful to the development of our economy, will be those who can obtain the larger returns.

I am confident that the entrepreneurial contacts that this Economic Forum will propitiate will allow confirming this perspective and consolidate a new dynamism in the relationship between Portugal and Poland.

Thank you very much.