Berta Nunes left a message for the opening of the symposium “The Economic Potential of Diaspora”, which takes place almost exclusively with the aim of identifying and promoting studies, research and statistics that allow a better understanding of the contribution and potential of Portuguese societies.
According to the foreign minister, who ended a visit to Angola today, but chose to leave a recorded message to be shared in the opening of the event, in the first six months of the National Diaspora Investor Support Program (PNAID), the 160 Diaspora Investors’ Platforms (EID).
PNAID aims, among other purposes, to support expat investments in Portugal.
According to Berta Nunes, more than 130 applications have been received for this status, and the 72 investment projects already monitored by the Diaspora Investor Support Office (GAID) represent a potential investment of € 50 million.
This investment mainly targets agriculture, food industry, real estate, tourism, business services, information, communication technology, and electronics.
In his letter, Berta Nunes summoned five million Portuguese abroad, who represent “one of the largest communities in the world” and “have enormous economic potential for the development of the country.”
In this regard, he referred to migrant remittances, which reached 3 billion euros in 2020, or 1.7% of Portugal’s GDP.
In 2019, the UK was the country most Portuguese immigrated to, with around 25,000 out of 80,000 leaving Portugal in that period, followed by Spain and Switzerland, according to the Immigration Monitor.
The symposium is actually being promoted by the Office of the Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SECP-MNE), in partnership with the Immigration Observatory (ISCTE-IUL) and the Regional Council of Portuguese Communities in Europe (CRCPE)).
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