Berta Nunes left a message for the opening of the colloquium "Economic Potential of the Diaspora," which is being held virtually with the aim of identifying and promoting studies, research and statistics that will provide a better understanding of the contribution and potential of Portuguese communities.
According to the Secretary of State, who ended this Wednesday a visit to Angola, but chose to leave a recorded message to be shared at the opening of the event, in the first six months of the National Program to Support the Diaspora Investor (PNAID) 160 Statutes of Diaspora Investors (EID) were issued.
The PNAID aims, among other purposes, to support the Diaspora's investment in Portugal.
According to Berta Nunes, more than 130 applications for this status were received and the 72 investment projects already monitored by the Diaspora Investor Support Office (GAID) represent a potential investment of 50 million euros.
This investment targets mainly the areas of agriculture, food industry, real estate and tourism, business services and information technology, communication and electronics.
In her message, Berta Nunes recalled the five million Portuguese outside the country, which represent "one of the largest diasporas in the world," and "holds enormous economic potential for the development of the country.
In this regard he recalled the remittances from emigrants that, in 2020, will reach 3000 million euros, which means 1.7 percent of the Portuguese GDP.
In 2019, the United Kingdom was the country to which more Portuguese emigrated, with about 25,000 of the 80,000 departures from Portugal in that period, followed by Spain and Switzerland, according to the Emigration Observatory.
The colloquium taking place virtually is promoted by the office of the Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SECP-MNE), in partnership with the Emigration Observatory (ISCTE-IUL) and the Regional Council of the Portuguese Communities in Europe (CRCPE).
