Portuguese economy falters

Ernâni Lopes, president of the consultancy company Saer and ex-finance minister, confirmed, “Portugal is ailing”. The declarations were made recently during the presentation of a study on the evolution of the Portuguese economy. Considering the last ten years, Ernâni Lopes sees a decade historically empty of ideas, value and strategies. He also criticised the way business is done in Portugal – “anything for a quick buck”, in reference to the fraud and corruption that is “condemning the country”. Even so, Lopes suggests solutions for the country: reduce the debt, raise productivity and exports, invest in strategic areas such as tourism, the hiperduster economy to be generated from the sea, environment and quality services with rising values. Defining relations with markets like Europe, Brazil and Africa is also an important issue, he added.