“Portugal is necessary for the development of French companies in Europe, because Portugal is one of the countries with the highest growth rate, between 6 and 7% this year, and many companies want to develop in the markets of Portuguese-speaking countries, being a platform for the rest of the Portuguese-speaking countries”, Richard Gomez, France Business Director for Portugal and Spain, explained in Lusa’s remarks.
Business France is equivalent to AICEP in Portugal, being the official agency of the French administration with around 70 offices around the world promoting French business and investments in France.
The Business Forum, which takes place in the French Senate in Paris, is an initiative of Business France as part of the season of the Crusades between France and Portugal, which has brought the two countries together since February.
“special relationship”
“There is a special relationship between France and Portugal and it is an opportunity to develop relations between the two countries, to seek complementarity whether in the environment, in technology or in relations between people, and in the Senate it is important to show this connection. With regions that develop thanks to the cooperation of our companies, “he stated Louis Jean de Nicolay, Senator from Sarthe and President of the France-Portugal Friendship Group in the Senate.
While France positions itself as the second customer for goods in Portugal and the number one customer in terms of services, French entrepreneurs are now looking for new opportunities, notably through the recovery and resilience plan and investing in partnerships with national companies.
“French companies are not only looking for a distributor or supplier in Portugal, they are looking for technological or financial alliances and even in third countries, such as Brazil,” explained Richard Gomez.
