Governments, municipalities, business associations and public agencies sought to convince international companies that Portugal was a competitive destination to set up factories, service centres, technological operations or industrial projects. Today, for the first time in a long time, we are beginning to see an interesting change in this narrative.
Reading the recent statements by the Minister of Territorial Cohesion on the creation of new business areas inspired by the Sines model, I got the feeling that we have entered a new phase. The problem no longer seems to be the lack of interest from investors. The challenge becomes to ensure that the country is prepared to receive the investments that are arriving.
The case of Sines is probably the best example of this transformation. What for many years was seen by some as an overly ambitious project has become one of the main poles of investment attraction in Portugal. Between industrial, energy, technological and data economy projects, the volume of investment announced already exceeds 25 billion euros. An impressive figure for the size of the Portuguese economy.
But there is a detail that deserves attention. A large investment not only brings factories, data centres, or technological infrastructures. It brings people. It brings specialised workers. It brings families. It brings demand for housing, schools, health care, commerce, services and mobility. And it is precisely here that the debate becomes more interesting.
For the first time, we heard public officials talk not only about the need to attract companies, but about the need to plan communities capable of supporting this growth. And this is a conversation that Portugal needs to have.
Over the last few years, I have closely followed projects related to energy, data centres, technological innovation and international investment. One conclusion seems increasingly clear: the countries that will benefit from the new economy will not only be those that can attract investment. They will be the ones who can create complete ecosystems where companies and people want to stay.
The decision to replicate the Sines model in other regions of the country may represent a historic opportunity. Not only to attract more investment, but to create new economic hubs outside traditional urban centres. The interior, the Centre and several regions of the North can benefit from a dynamic that for decades was excessively concentrated in a few areas of the territory.
Of course, success will depend on the ability to execute. Infrastructure, housing, energy, training and planning will have to move at the same pace as investments.
But the main message is positive. For decades, we have asked how we could convince the world to invest in Portugal.
Today, we begin to discuss something much more interesting. How to prepare Portugal for the investment that the world has already decided to bring.
