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

It is with great pleasure that I am here today, in the company of His Majesty the King, at the closing session of this Forum. I would like to congratulate the two national agencies, AICEP Portugal Global and Business Sweden, as well as the Confederation of Swedish Enterprises, for organizing this meeting.

Our two countries share deeply rooted values which should actually foster closer economic and trade relations. Our countries are key and trusted players within the European Union. Our peoples and institutions favor mutual understanding and cooperation.

Those shared values can be a source of competitive advantage for both of us. Our companies are globally seen as reliable business partners.

We provide high levels of technical expertise and hold a global reputation in a number of specific industries.

Given the size of our economies, we tend to rely more on the economic performance of mid-sized companies. Therefore, we have a common interest in supporting the view that European wide regulations should not be overly demanding for the types of companies that are likely to be the most significant sources of high value added employment in our societies.

In Portugal, Sweden has always been perceived as a friend and the reputation of Swedish companies and institutions is very high. Sweden has been trusted as partner and advisor since the seventies when it helped us in the design and implementation of important social programs in health and social insurance. Thus, I believe that joint ventures between companies from our countries are likely to be successful. I also believe that Swedish expertise will be helpful to Portugal in its current new stage of industrialization.

My point is that the excellent, enduring and longstanding political relationship between our countries, together with important complementarities in many areas of our economies, are a fertile ground for the development of joint ventures, investments and increased trade flows.

Portugal is an open economy, with excellent infrastructures, privileged natural conditions and a highly qualified human capital. Following the crisis that struck the World and Europe, my country has undertaken a major effort towards macroeconomic and financial adjustment. In these difficult and demanding times, Portugal has implemented an important and ambitious program of structural reforms, in order to increase the flexibility and competitiveness of the economy.

The international institutions recognize that the structural reforms are broadly on track and that the Portuguese authorities have shown both high transparency and deep commitment throughout this process.

My country has been bearing the costs of the European financial market fragmentation. The high borrowing costs to medium size companies in Portugal have been rather unfair and, worse, economically inefficient. Still, Portuguese companies – especially the medium size ones – have made a remarkable progress in the international markets over the last few years.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Portuguese economy is currently carrying on a broad range of industrial activities and services. The more traditional sectors, such as textiles, clothing and footwear, maintain a strong position in international markets. Having gone through a sharp modernization process, they now embrace a new class of technologically sophisticated players in terms of fashion, design, innovation and supply chain management.

Portugal is receiving growing international recognition for its efforts in renewable energy. The Portuguese economy today has several examples of a growing scientific and technological component in many fields such as information and communication technologies, environmental preservation and management, urban planning and renewal, as well as energy efficiency.

I am sure that you will find cooperation with Portuguese companies to be a two way street in terms of competencies and technologies.

Despite global trends by large corporations to shift production to emerging countries, we see a new interest in manufacturing modes where flexibility, customer proximity and service play an important strategic role. Portugal offers prime competitive advantages to be a “Priority Location” in many ventures for the European market.

Moreover, Portugal has a strong business presence in Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa and Latin America, with roots in our longstanding historic and cultural ties. This enables us to be a privileged contact platform for these countries, a platform with an established network and operating know-how, open to Swedish companies seeking to work with those markets.

Portugal is a recognized top Tourism destination, and not just for its good weather. We are a friendly and safe country, with a long and beautiful coast, and also interesting inland landscapes; with centuries old traditions and culture; we have excellent gastronomy and wines.

This makes my country an exciting place to visit, but also provides growing opportunities to invest and create partnerships along these areas.

This Forum affords an excellent occasion to deepen the understanding and mutual trust between Swedish and Portuguese businesses, and to explore common interests and opportunities, bringing our economic and business relationship more in line with the excellence of our political relationship.

I would like to strongly encourage the Swedish companies present here today to work with their Portuguese counterparts in the identification and setting up of shared projects.

Thank you all for your attention and for your engagement in building up a fruitful and lasting economic bond between our two countries.