Latest news and stories about competitiveness in government in Portugal for expats and residents.
Miguel Relvas criticizes the government's lack of proactive measures to maintain economic competitiveness, proposing the implementation of non-habitual resident programs and Golden Visas to attract digital talent back to the country.
EU leaders are increasingly recognizing the need to address the competitiveness crisis, with calls for urgent political and economic action. While past analyses have highlighted the issue of slow growth, it has not been treated as an immediate emergency. Leaders like Costa advocate for a political boost, while Macron proposes a significant economic overhaul to stimulate growth.
The Draghi Report's ambitions force Europe to confront uncomfortable realities: it is falling significantly behind global competitors. The analysis argues that the ‘race’ has been underway for years and that closing the gap requires urgent, active policy choices — including structural reforms, targeted investment and a renewed focus on competitiveness across the single market.
Portugal ranks among the top 10 European countries for foreign direct investment.
The president of the Portuguese Farmers' Confederation is seeking financial support from the state to ensure the agricultural sector can compete effectively with neighboring Spain.
The Portuguese agri-food sector is hindered by a siloed mentality where individual links in the chain compete rather than collaborate. To compete internationally and overcome systemic challenges like bureaucracy and energy costs, the industry must adopt a unified approach. By sharing information and aligning interests, the sector can increase its collective value rather than fighting over shrinking margins, ultimately proving that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
António Costa uses a football metaphor to argue that Europe must have “champions” to boost the bloc's competitiveness. The President of the European Council argued that it is necessary to mobilise the talent of the 27 European nations. Sport was the formula used to convey the message that Europe needs to be...
Wars, tariffs, and higher energy prices have had a negative impact on European and national competitiveness. According to the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking 2026, Portugal has fallen three positions, moving from 37th to 40th place among 70 economies, largely due to the 'systemic effect of Europe,' explains Arturo Bris, director of the IMD World Competitiveness Center, in...
There are several reasons to build a major national commitment regarding the topic of competitiveness. Opinion by José da Silva Peneda
Portugal has dropped to 40th position in the latest IMD World Competitiveness Ranking, marking a decline of three spots.
Portugal has dropped three places in the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) competitiveness ranking, now sitting at 40th out of 70 economies, in a list led by Singapore. While the country saw progress in 'Economic Performance', it regressed in the pillars of 'Business Efficiency', 'Government Efficiency', and 'Infrastructure'. The report highlights that despite economic improvements, Portugal continues to lose ground in structural competitiveness factors such as institutional, corporate, and infrastructure efficiency. Porto Business School dean José Esteves notes that while Portugal has excellent professionals and is an open economy, future competitiveness depends on transforming assets into productivity, innovation, and scale.
Carneiro criticised the way the six billion from the European defence fund is being used: 'The money arrives in Portugal and leaves again'. The economy is losing competitiveness, he warned.
The PS Secretary-General insisted that it is necessary to “build this economic policy solution with tranquillity”.
Europe is reinventing itself. Pressured by geoeconomic competition from the United States and China, the urgency of the climate transition, and security imperatives arising from instability on its eastern border, the European Commission presented, in mid-2025, a proposal that represents the most profound transformation of the community budget in recent decades.
In recent articles, I argued that changing labour laws is not a magic solution for Portuguese competitiveness, which depends primarily on investment. Portugal continues to invest less than necessary, compromising its future. While gross fixed capital formation has recovered to 20.4% of GDP in 2024, it remains below 2008 levels. The reliance on the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) masks a structural weakness in public investment, and the new long-term plan (PTRR) may not provide the necessary annual momentum to sustain growth. Ultimately, Portugal needs a consistent, long-term investment strategy that does not rely solely on European funding to overcome its productivity gap.
ANTRAM met with the ministry this morning to find solutions for the transport sector. For now, strikes and protests are off the table.
Leaders had hoped to focus on the EU's long-term competitiveness problem. Instead, they're back to firefighting.
Leaders will meet on 12 February to discuss reducing the EU's dependencies in certain sectors, strengthening strategic autonomy and European competitiveness.
“The next year will be decisive for the advancement of the circular economy, both in Portugal and in the European Union. We are entering a phase of regulatory consolidation and practical implementation,” says Ana Costa, Director of Sustainability and Blue Economy at Beta-i. The European landscape is marked by the Circular Economy Act (CEA), which has just concluded ...
