The President of the Republic, António José Seguro, considered this Sunday (19), during a meeting with young Portuguese people in Madrid, that “Portugal needs to make some improvements to also be an extraordinary country to work in”.
“What I can, somehow, take away, as an abusive summary of our conversations, is that Portugal is an extraordinary country to live in, but that it needs to make some improvements to also be an extraordinary country to work in. And this is very representative in terms of career progression, salaries”, said the head of state, who arrived this Sunday in the Spanish capital for his first official visit abroad.
António José Seguro was speaking during a reception with around 40 young Portuguese people who study or work in Spain, at the residence of the Portuguese ambassador in Madrid, José Augusto Duarte, in the presence of the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel.
In the middle of the meeting, in a statement made into the microphone, in front of the media, after having already had brief conversations with the young people, the President of the Republic asked that they “not give up on Portugal” and that they include in their plans “the possibility of also contributing to the development of the Portuguese economy”.
In conversations with the head of state, asked about what led them to go to Spain, several young people spoke of the opportunities and conditions that the country offers and one young woman specifically pointed out the difference in the value of salaries compared to Portugal as “a very pertinent issue in the choice” she made.
António José Seguro asked if “there really is a substantial difference” and the young woman replied that “there is a very significant difference” and that “in a city that is so close to Lisbon or Porto there is a very big difference”. The President of the Republic replied: “I hope that someday I will have salary reasons to encourage her to return.”
Next, in your statement, the President of the Republic considered that Portugal needs “some improvements to also be an extraordinary country to work in” and said that he has often heard young people asking for “an efficient State and a competitive economy”.
“That’s the reason we are here, is to collect your contributions, your opinions, and above all to highlight this message: Don’t give up on Portugal, because Portugal really, really needs young Portuguese people. Thank you very much”, he added.
During his official visit to Madrid, the President of the Republic will have meetings with King Felipe VI and the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, on Monday.
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