e have recently held a seminar on the effects of European funding in national economy.

Over the last years we have concentrated in the analysis of the weak Portuguese economic growth and in ways to overcome this.

The former legislative elections, by extending a period of parliamentary dependency on extreme left-wing forces have had a very negative impact regarding this objective.

We have analysed the necessary structural reforms to boost RRP investment and the remaining European funds as well as a reduced list of changes in licensing, fiscality and justice always towards increasing the average dimension of companies and its external competitiveness, increasing productivity and income, making our tax level less off-putting to individual effort and foreign investment.

We also discussed the role of the private sector and banks, namely the investment bank and the role reserved to the Development Bank, the longest launch in the Portuguese Banking History.

We didn’t discuss what is not in the RRP – a strategic vision to Portugal.

The redesign of the world economy opens great dimension opportunities mainly for a country which, with the accumulated debt, must build its future inserted in the necessarily anticipated changes.

The cooperation renewal, both European and Portuguese, with the United States brings strategic advantages to exploit with decision and precision.

We need a clear and stable framework for corporate activity but we only know PAN’s proposals in what concerns the 2022 State Budget.

The fact that so many fundings from Portugal 2020 remained untouched – almost half – is a bad indicator. Too much bureaucracy, fractionated tenders open without good warning, as if to favour insiders or the desertion of investors due to the constant degradation, even if slow, of the remuneration conditions of corporate risk.

Aren’t future tenders going to be discussed? It isn’t possible for the current RRP and will only two or three ministers do the choices? What about 2030?

Recent studies have clearly demonstrated that the funding isn’t aimed at sectors targeted at the exterior nor to companies with bigger probability to contribute to the global development of the economy or that have already benefited, even the ones that closed shortly after receiving funds.

We mainly want to contribute to a modernization climate in which the necessary reforms will be compensated by higher levels of well-being.

We are living a period in which, facing the lengthening of the problems that have characterized the last years, we may easily fall into a climate of resignation and discouragement.

With so many findings and undeniable progress we can’t give up from reaching a much better future.