The Secretary of State for Internationalization, Bernardo Ivo Cruz, praised this Wednesday the “innumerable examples of success” of the Portuguese companies in the civil construction sector in a “very difficult and competitive” market such as the North American one.
Speaking to Lusa at the Annual Seminar of the Network of Construction Entrepreneurs (CENSE), in the US city of Newark, the Secretary of State welcomed the presence of dozens of Portuguese-American companies at the event, highlighting that many traveled from Portugal for the purpose of exploring business opportunities there.
Look around us: we have a huge room, full of companies that came from Portugal and Portuguese companies that settled here, in the state of New Jersey, in the construction sector. This is extraordinary. It is the strength of the Portuguese community, of Portuguese companies, of the Portuguese language, which is here in this room celebrating how much it can do in a very difficult, very competitive market, a market where everyone is”, he said.
Ivo Cruz stressed that there are “innumerable examples of success” of Portuguese-American businessmen and explained that no one arrives in the United States unprotected, since there is strong support from both the Investment and Foreign Trade Agency of Portugal (AICEP) and the own Portuguese community, already rooted in North American soil.
“The Portuguese community is a well-established and well-integrated community, which asserts its voice and has economic, political and social significance in the state and in the region. (…) I don’t think there are bad stories in this room, only success stories, ”she evaluated.
“There is solidarity between those who were born here, those who arrived a few years ago and those who are arriving now. Companies do not arrive helpless. They arrive supported by AICEP, but they also know that there is a network of Portuguese who can hire them and help them build this bridge in a very integrated and planned manner. There is room for everyone, no one is left unattended and the more who want to come, the more welcome they will be”, added the Secretary of State.
Dozens of Portuguese-American businessmen from the construction industry met Wednesday in Newark, New Jersey, to explore business opportunities based on the Joe Biden administration’s plan to renewal of national infrastructure related to roads, bridges, railways, energy supply and water supply services.
Companies with a diversified turnover were present at the event, but with a high presence in the field of civil construction, both in building and infrastructure, in the different North American states in which they have headquarters, such as Power Concrete, Tavares Concrete Company, Highway Traffic Control, Roy Rock, among many others.
As for the political representatives, in addition to the Secretary of State for Internationalization, there were also figures such as the general secretary of the PSD, Hugo Soares; the coordinator of the Secretariat of the Portuguese Communities of the PSD, José Cesário; the new Consul General of Portugal in Newark, Luís Sequeira; as well as a representative of the Government of the State of Newark.
A Lusa, Hugo Soares indicated that throughout the seminar he tried to convey the idea that Americans “can even bet on Portuguese businessmen, because they know how to do it as well or better than others.”
“The message is an affirmation of the quality of our business fabric here in the United States as well. To those who are here, who have done their business here, my call is that they invest in Portugal”, he exhorted.
The general secretary of the PSD assessed that Portugal still needs to work on its labor law become a country “truly friendly to foreign investment”, despite believing that other attractions are not lacking.
“Portugal is not today, but we seek and want it to be, a country that is truly friendly to foreign investment, that manages to attract foreign investment and for that we need fiscal stability. we need of lower taxation in portugal. We need to make labor legislation more flexible, a bit similar to what is already happening in the United States, and from there seek to attract investment. Because Portugal is a country where you can do business, where it is good to live and for North Americans it is a great opportunity”, he said.
Hugo Soares also believes that Portuguese businessmen are “regarded favorably” on North American soil and that they have “a tremendous entrepreneurial quality and capacity to create wealth.”
The general secretary of the PSD also told Lusa that he saw some companies formalizing good contracts at this seminar —promoted by the Portuguese-American company Media Consult—, hoping that this would be reflected in the balance of exports of goods and services from Portugal.
Luís Sequeira considered that the event conveyed an image of “great vitality” of Portugal and the Portuguese economy.
“This event offers very good opportunities to do business with Portuguese, Portuguese-American and North American businessmen. The fact that the businessmen who traveled from Portugal to New Jersey are here is also proof of Portugal’s interest in investing and receiving US investments”, said the consul.
Source: Observadora
