Companies? “If they cannot produce weapons, they produce gunpowder,” CIP says

O president of CIP – Business Confederation of Portugal today defended the importance of integrating Portuguese companies in the procurement processes in Defense and Minister Nuno Melo said he wanted the industry “at attention to opportunities”.

“ Minister, companies are here, if they cannot produce weapons, they produce gunpowder, but they produce what is necessary so that all this investment that will be made is not just a purchase abroad, but a direct participation of all those who still dare and risk being entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs and, with this, create jobs in Portugal ", highlighted the president of CIP, Armindo Monteiro.

The head spoke at the Military Academy in Amadora, where today a conference was held entitled “Defense Industry: Positioning Portuguese Companies” organized by CIP, in partnership with idD Portugal Defence.

Addressing the Minister of National Defense, Nuno Melo, who was in the audience, Armindo Monteiro estimated that in the coming years this area of sovereignty will have between hands EUR 10 billion and Portuguese companies want to be a competitive part of this investment.

“ We always have this idea that we cannot transform the specialization of our economy. Of course, if we continue to sell coffees at twenty cents or coconut water on the beach, productivity becomes evident”, ironic the president of CIP, who pointed out the Defense area as one of the most demanding in terms of innovation.

Armindo Monteiro stated that Defense is “perhaps worldwide the area with the greatest power of attraction, innovation, competitiveness and, by this means, the drag of all other sectors”.

“ Perhaps together with the pharmaceutical industry is the area, the sector, that pulls the most by the economy at the level of sophistication, innovation and, therefore, allows effectively to transform the economy ", sustained.

Moments later, Nuno Melo went to the pulpit to leave a new appeal: “National Defense also wants the industry attentive to the immense possibilities that Defense provides”.

The minister stressed that the sector today has 465 companies, “the largest number since registration”, and last year the “volume of business in the sector increased 26% and jobs 18%”, a trend that should be strengthened this year.

Nuno Melo pointed out that, in the framework of SAFE’s investments (European loans of around 5.8 billion to be implemented by 2030), the Portuguese industry was “considered” and integrated into the procurement processes, giving as an example the new Italian frigates whose participation of the national industry is around 8.3%, at an estimated value of EUR 325 million.

“ But as far as drones are concerned, the acquisition is 100% by Portuguese companies. And in each equipment, on land, sea, air, space and cyberspace, each acquisition has the participation of Portuguese companies, to a greater or lesser degree ", stressed.

The governor also made reference to the investment in Arsenal do Alfeite, which will have a new management model through a partnership between the public entity idD Portugal Defence and Italian Fincantieri, in the context of the acquisition business of the three frigates.

“ The investment we are going to start now in Arsenal do Alfeite guarantees the revitalization of an entity that will be catapulted into the 21st century and that, around it, will aggregate many other companies, with investments of more than EUR 100 million ", said the minister.

In statements to journalists, Nuno Melo said that the Government loan agreement with the European Commission under the European Security Action Instrument (SAFE) is already in Brussels.

Nuno Melo announced that two more satellites will be launched next day to integrate the so-called “Atlantic Constellation”, a partnership between Portugal and Spain funded by the Recovery and Resilience Program (PRR) to develop and launch a constellation of Earth observation satellites.