Montenegro believes that Portugal “is highly competitive”
The Prime Minister stated that Portugal is “highly competitive” from an energy standpoint, with one of the “lowest costs in the European Union,” and expressed confidence that it will grow again in 2026 above the EU average.
At the opening session of the first edition of the forum “Portugal, Global Nation,” which is taking place at the Belém Cultural Center (Lisbon), Luís Montenegro sought to present to the diaspora entrepreneurs present reasons to invest in Portugal.
Low energy costs
“At this moment, we are already in Europe, a country that presents the lowest energy costs. I must highlight this point because, a few years ago, this was a factor against our competitiveness. Portugal is today highly competitive from an energy standpoint,” he emphasised.
According to the Prime Minister, strategic autonomy in the energy sector “is not only a factor of greater sovereignty, of greater autonomy, but a factor of competitiveness.”
“The less dependent we are and the more competitive we are in energy prices, the more fertile ground we have to attract and retain new investments,” he stated.
Fiscally friendly policy
Another factor pointed out by Montenegro to attract investors to Portugal was the current Government’s “business-friendly fiscal policy” which, he assured, “is here to stay”.
“Because, despite the normal democratic political struggle, I believe that no one will dare, in the coming years, to question the fiscal strategy that makes Portugal a country that charges less tax on labour income and is therefore more attractive to human capital, and also charges less tax on business activity and is therefore more attractive for retaining investments,” he said.
Soundness of public finances
Highlighting the soundness of national public finances, Montenegro pointed out that Portugal is going “for the fifth consecutive year of economic performance that exceeds the European Union average”.
“If everything goes according to plan, in 2026, despite all the uncertainties and adversities, it will be another year in which Portugal will grow more than the European Union average,” he predicted.
Reducing bureaucracy
Montenegro highlighted, on the other hand, the “clear commitment” of the PSD/CDS-PP executive he leads to “reducing bureaucracy and simplifying procedures.”
“I would like you to leave here very aware that we are making a great effort to make the administration’s response to requests from individuals, but also to requests from companies, more agile,” he said.
Facilitating financing
The Prime Minister also stressed that there are currently mechanisms in place to overcome financing difficulties that have affected Portuguese companies in the past, or companies owned by Portuguese citizens who want to invest in Portugal.
“What we want is for Portuguese companies, companies that want to invest in Portugal, to have a partner in the financial system, to have a partner in the Portuguese development bank, so that they are not left behind due to difficulties in accessing credit,” he stressed.
Hope for new projects
The Prime Minister said he hopes that new projects and concrete investments will emerge from this forum and asked the entrepreneurs present to be ambassadors not only of national culture and traditions abroad, but also of the “entrepreneurial will and capacity for transformation” of Portuguese projects.
“I hope that the list of contacts who will exchange projects and experiences here will be inspiring and a little more than that: that it will be the seed for projects that will then germinate into good investments and greater growth for Portugal and greater growth for our community and its prosperity spread throughout the world,” he wished.
Reference link: https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2026-04-29/montenegro-believes-that-portugal-is-highly-competitive/1014353
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