The prime minister announced on Wednesday that Portugal will mobilize up to 11 billion euros under the new European aid regime, indicating that the country ranks 15 out of 214 in terms of political stability and social cohesion.
These positions were conveyed by António Costa at the inaugural session of the Portugal/South Korea Business Forum, within the framework of the second and last day of the official visit to this Asian country, in a speech in which he wanted to demonstrate to an audience of South Korean businessmen the advantages of investing in the country.
“We have the conditions and opportunities, but the most important thing is that we have the availability of the Portuguese Government to support strategic investments, specifically in areas such as microchips, energy and green mobility, with very important financial incentives within the framework of the new European aid regime For this we are available to mobilize up to 11,000 million euros”, he specified.
To these 11,000 million euros, according to António Costa, are added more than 39,000 million euros in financial incentives in the scope of Portugal 2030 and in the scope of the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
“In addition to economic incentives, important tax credits are made available to companies, through the granting of tax exemptions and subsidies for job creation,” he added.
In the speech, the executive’s leader began by pointing out that there are already significant investments by Portuguese companies in South Korea and by South Korean companies in Portugal.
“But we can do more, much more, because there are many reasons that make Portugal the perfect destination for South Korean companies and investments. First of all, Portugal has a highly skilled labor force. The percentage of young Portuguese adults with higher education is above the European one. average: 47% against 42% in the European Union,” she said.
António Costa said that Portugal has “the third highest rate of recent engineering graduates in Europe”, only below Germany and Austria.
“We are the sixth safest country in the world and 15 out of 214 in terms of political stability and social cohesion. Portugal has an important industrial tradition and a flexible and reliable business fabric. Portugal is characterized by its openness to foreign investment and foreign trade, ”he defended.
António Costa also defended that Portugal, according to the European Commission, is the most “prepared to meet the intermediate objectives of the European Union in 2030 in terms of climate neutrality”.
“And the significant weight of renewable energies in our energy mix has allowed us to keep the price of electricity practically unchanged in the face of the current energy crisis,” he pointed out, alluding to the consequences of the war in Ukraine, in a speech that preceded that of the Minister of Economy, Antonio Costa Silva.
According to the prime minister, “the knowledge and experience of South Koreans and Portuguese can complement and reinforce each other.”
“By joining hands, I am sure that we can not only increase opportunities for mutual economic benefit, but also create a better future for Korean and Portuguese citizens,” he said.
Source: TSF
