The prime minister assured this Sunday that “Portugal is the right trading partner for the challenges and opportunities” of the climate and digital transitions, due to its commitment to energy sources, but also due to the centrality gained by digital interconnections.
“The future [da indústria] it depends on our ability to face the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities of the double green and digital transition. the pandemic [de covid-19]first, and the terrible war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine, now, have shown us that there is no other option but to accelerate this double transition”, declared António Costa at the opening ceremony of the Hannover fair, which chose Portugal this year. as a partner country, which took place this Sunday at the Congress Palace of that German city.
With the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and thousands of German businessmen listening to him in the audience, António Costa began by talking about the green transition to mention that the Portuguese investment in this matter “began a long time ago”.
“For this reason, we were not surprised that the European Commission positioned Portugal as the EU country best prepared to meet the 2030 climate objectives. Renewable energies already represent 58% of our electricity production and we are committed to reaching 80%. in 2026. We are a world reference in green engineering solutions”, he indicated.
The prime minister also said that “the pipeline of new investments is growing every day, particularly with green hydrogen at the forefront.”
“We are implementing new solutions in the port of Sines to contribute to the security and diversification of energy supply sources throughout Europe. And, in the medium term, taking into account our excellent starting position, our excellent natural conditions and the planned interconnections, Portugal will be a major exporter of green hydrogen”, he added.
Regarding the digital transition, the Chief Executive assured that Portugal “took on a new centrality” through the “EllaLink submarine cable”, which “docked on the Portuguese coast connecting Europe with South America”, but also through the Equiano cable, which arrived “just a few days ago” in Portugal to connect Europe with South Africa and the ‘To Africa’ cable which, next year, “will ensure the connection from Europe to Asia from Portugal”.
“In a word, Portugal is connected through direct submarine cables to all the continents and also to the United Kingdom. This translates into high-quality, fast, stable and secure connections, which attract data centers and other digital companies”, she underlined.
The prime minister also said that, in addition to infrastructure, Portugal has the “third highest rate of engineering graduates in Europe”, a “dynamic ecosystem of innovation that attracts research, development and service centers from all over the world”, with the number it has “doubled in the last six years.”
“In Portugal, we have digital innovation centers and technology free zones to test and demonstrate new technologies. We produce key components for the ‘microchip’ industry and develop innovative production technologies in the fields of smart manufacturing, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things,” he said.
The Prime Minister thus addressed the businessmen to mention that, at the Hannover fair, they will be able to learn about Portugal’s “dynamic digital ecosystem”, as well as its “most innovative production technologies”.
With the motto “Portugal makes sense”, Hannover Messe’22 —considered the world’s largest industrial fair— began this Sunday and ends on Thursday, having chosen Portugal as a partner country for this year’s edition.
Source: Observadora
