“This is the vision of this government. To invest in the economy, to bet on entrepreneurs, remunerating their risk, because they take risks and by properly remunerating these risks, we invite them to make more investments,” he stated.
Speaking at the inauguration of a data center in Sines, Setúbal district, the government official highlighted that there are many ways to “properly remunerate the risks taken by entrepreneurs,” citing examples such as expediting decision-making processes and reducing bureaucracy.
“We must facilitate this, which remunerates the risks of entrepreneurs, and compensate investors’ risks with different regulations,” he emphasized, stressing that “the regulator must protect the market with equal opportunities and ensure fairness.”
Pinto Luz noted that “Europe has maintained a closed regulation, which does not allow for scale and large companies,” and claimed that in the telecommunications sector there is “a significant capital constraint” and an inability to make necessary investments.
“Europe is lagging behind the United States in telecommunications infrastructure because we have small and medium companies without scale, lacking the capacity to make the necessary investments,” he reiterated, advocating for “more equitable, swift, and balanced regulation.”
The minister suggested that investments by entrepreneurs can also be rewarded if the country is able to “develop projects that transcend political cycles, with the required national consensus and longevity of public policies.”
“We all want these investors not to be constantly anxious about what will happen next,” he said, emphasizing that “this is not the path the current government wishes to pursue.”
Pinto Luz, speaking at the inauguration of the first building of the Start Campus data center in Sines, expressed gratitude and praised the current Minister of Economy, Pedro Reis, as well as former PS government ministers João Galamba and António Costa Silva.
“This humility, reciprocity, and assurance of stability and reliability with which private entities can regard the State is commendable,” he stressed, pointing out that “we may have differences, different perspectives, and different conceptions of life and the world, but what unites us is far greater than what separates us.”
Highlighting the “absolute necessity” of this investment for Portugal, the Minister of Infrastructure stressed that in times of “numerous conflicts,” it is essential to seek “peace through consensual projects that can bring economic growth” to the country.
“And with this economic growth, we can ensure a fair distribution of wealth among each of us, to implement this vision of a State where everyone has equal opportunities,” he continued.
Addressing Douglas Koneff, the chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Portugal, the minister said it wasn’t solely the wine, good gastronomy, excellent climate, and hospitality that won over the Americans, but also their understanding that in Portugal “they can invest securely.”
“May our partnership between our two countries foster a new globalization, with new rules, new ways of living and existing in the world,” he added, “ensuring a better quality of life for your citizens and ours alike.”
