Montenegro sees economic growth as a prerequisite for a fairer country

Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said Thursday that economic growth is a prerequisite for a more prosperous and fair country, after the Council of Ministers approved 60 economic measures in Oliveira de Azemeis.

“This Council of Ministers […] “has adopted a very broad set of decisions in the economic field with the aim of accelerating economic growth as a prerequisite for us to have a more prosperous and, thanks to this prosperity, a fairer country,” the Prime Minister said in this message. On Thursday, following a decentralized meeting of the Council of Ministers, which took place in Oliveira de Azemeis (Aveiro region).

Following a government meeting at the Escola Superior Aveiro Norte of the University of Aveiro (ESAN-UA), Luís Montenegro said Portugal must have “the resources to ensure better living conditions for young people, those who are starting their active lives today, but also a country that will be able to pay higher wages in the near future and have social policies to support the most vulnerable and in need.”

The head of government stressed that the measures taken by the executive branch take into account “budgetary responsibility”, which “must be achieved not by increasing taxes, but by creating more wealth, a larger economy”.

“The government looks at the economy with confidence and at the future of the Portuguese economy with great confidence,” saying it trusts “the people, those who risk part of their capital, entrepreneurs, businessmen” and workers, “an asset capable of producing more, producing better, ensuring competitiveness, productivity.”

Thus, Luis Montenegro expressed a “double trust”, to which is added the “organization” of both companies and “their relations with the public administration, public organizations”.

“Our goal is not to replace companies and their management. Our goal is to make life easier for companies so that they can create more wealth and, as a result, pay higher wages,” he stressed.

The Prime Minister said that the “Accelerate the Economy” package presented this Thursday is based on five axes: the first concerns the scale and capitalisation of companies, the second innovation, the third sustainability, the fourth investment in areas of specialisation in which the Portuguese economy is more competitive and has greater potential, such as tourism and the sea, and fifth, the durability of policies.

The government’s “ultimate goal” is for the country to be “attractive, prosperous, with good companies and good jobs,” with the aim of “retaining talent” and “taking advantage of the skills of young people” and even being attractive for “importing talent.”

“If we value human capital, if we have a more flexible organisation of companies and their relations with the state, we will also attract more investors. We will provide conditions so that Portuguese businessmen, companies that are here, can invest more, and we will attract more foreign direct investment,” he believes.