Prime Minister visits Germany to boost political dialogue and economic relations

The Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro was on official visit to Germany this week, where he met in Berlin with the Chanceler Friedrich Merz to boost political dialogue and economic ties between both countries.

The visit included a bilateral encounter and a broad meeting between both countries' delegations. The Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion Manuel Castro Almeida and the Secretary of State for European Affairs Inês Domingos travelled with the Prime Minister.

"The main aims of the meeting in Berlin are to boost our political dialogue on all fronts and an opportunity to strengthen our very much developed and classical economic relations", the Prime Minister claimed.

Luís Montenegro added that the visit represents "an opportunity to harness the potential of each one and transform this into greater capacity to create wealth, economic growth, and well-being for our people",

In their statements to the press, Luís Montenegro and Friedrich Merz addressed matters of current affairs and advocated a coordinated diplomatic response to the situation in the Middle East and the impacts the regional instability has on international trade.

Portugal and Germany "under the same horizon"

The visit included participating in the "Wirtschaftstag", one of the main economic/political conferences in Germany, organised by Wirtschaftsrat der CDU, which brought together around three thousand entrepreneurs.

During his speech, the Prime Minister advocated the strengthening of the economic and political cooperation between Portugal and Germany, claiming that both countries should "share the same horizon" in the European context.

Luís Montenegro stressed that "Portugal and Germany have always lived under the same European sky" and felt that "never have we had so much potential to share the same horizon than today".

The Prime Minister further upheld that Portugal must be seen "not merely as another European player, rather as a strategic partner".

Next to the German Chanceler, Luís Montenegro noted the convergence between Lisbon and Berlin on European affairs, indicating the "drive towards reform and simplification, the ambition of greater competitiveness and growth, and the same hunger for results".

The Prime Minister also stressed the political proximity with Friedrich Merz, on whom he claimed to count "on the most important matters in the European project".

Addressing the German entrepreneurs, Luís Montenegro noted the complementarity between the two countries, stating that German engineering and the Portuguese capacity to adapt and execute are "a powerful match".

Economic transformation and investment

In this meeting with corporate leaders, Luís Montenegro stressed the transformation of the Portuguese economy over the last decade, based on balanced public accounts, sustained growth, and grater exporting capacity.

The Prime Minister also noted that today, Portugal has solid conditions for investment with a stable economy, an environment that is favourable to companies, qualified manpower, and a constant investment in the energy transition as a competitiveness factor, with clean, stable energy at predictable cost for companies.

"Portugal is no longer defined by vulnerability, rather by strength, resilience, and growth", he claimed. Luís Montenegro also indicated Portugal's Atlantic centrality and its role as a link between Europe, the Americas and Africa in a context of reorganising the value chains.

The Prime Minister also stressed the country's political and economic stability, claiming that the Government has fostered growth and investment with a reduction of the tax burden on households and companies.

A more competitive Europe

On a European level, Luís Montenegro advocated for a more competitive European Union that is less bureaucratic and more geared towards growth, underlining that "there is no competitiveness without convergence and cohesion".

The Prime Minister also alerted to the need to deepen the internal market and set up a European competitiveness fund that is capable of supporting investment and innovation.

Luís Montenegro also noted that Portugal and Germany share a joint vision for Europe: more competitiveness, less red tape and an economy that is open to the world.

The visit to Berlin boosted the political alignment between Portugal and Germany and made clear the common interest in deepening economic cooperation in a demanding European context.