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Mister President,
Dear Ministers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear friends form Portugal and Luxembourg,
It is a great pleasure to join you today, together with the President of Portugal, for the first Portugal-Luxembourg Economic Forum, jointly organized by the Luxembourg Ministry of the Economy as well as our Chamber of Commerce and their Portuguese partner.
Historically, the presence of a large and well-integrated Portuguese community in the Grand Duchy has strongly reinforced our relation.
Since the 1960s, Portugal has been a very important source of labour for our country and has been indispensable for our economy in agriculture, industry, construction and services.
The contribution of the Portuguese immigrants to the economic development of Luxembourg is remarkable and I would like to thank all those women and men who have contributed to this enormous effort.
Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen,
It is also true that despite very close cultural and political ties, when it comes to the economic relations between our two countries, there is still much to be done. We are here today to explore opportunities and to find ways to boost this potential in the years to come.
Currently, around fifty Luxembourg companies from different sectors are present in Portugal. Other companies have expressed their interest in prospecting your market.
Some Luxembourg small and medium-sized companies – mainly in the field of ICT – have also started to create subsidiaries.
At the same time, a dozen Portuguese firms are established in Luxembourg.
We should build on these experiences and further develop our economic relations.
Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen,
Over the past years, in order to diversify its economy, Luxembourg has consistently invested in new technologies, in particular in the sectors of ICT, Space and Green Finance. I do believe that the Luxembourg business actors are ready to offer strategic partnerships to their counterparts in Portugal.
Strengthening the framework of our bilateral economic relations would be highly beneficial for both sides, especially within the context of the European post-pandemic recovery plan "Next Generation Europe".
Currently, we are facing enormous challenges to address climate change as well as to adapt to a new geopolitical situation in Europe, due to the war in Ukraine. Both oblige us to urgently reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
Under the banner of the green and digital transformation and sustainable growth, I am confident that our countries can team up to find innovative solutions.
This First Portugal-Luxembourg Economic Forum will be a real milestone for the development of our commercial relations and cross-investment.
The Luxembourg Ministry of the Economy, our Chamber of Commerce as well as the Luxembourg Embassy in Lisbon together with their Portuguese partners, are ready to support all those interested in enhancing cooperation and partnerships with our Portuguese friends.
I wish you fruitful discussions.
Thank you very much for your kind attention.