The city of Braga was chosen by the Financial Times as the best city of the future in the category aimed at attracting foreign investment. Porto reached first place in the category of large cities and third place as Best FDI Strategy in medium-sized European cities. Lisbon achieved a fifth place in the scope of human capital and lifestyle
There are three Portuguese cities highlighted in the ranking European Cities and Regions of the Future – the best and the brightest among Europe investments destination, released by the supplement of FDi Intelligence magazine, a publication of the Financial Times, published worldwide.
This study compares the most attractive foreign direct investment destinations in Europe and demonstrates that some European cities, including Portugal, demonstrated a high degree of resilience to the inevitable economic consequences generated by the pandemic.
Distinguished Portuguese Cities:
Porto
- Best City of the Future. Category: Large Cities
- Third best medium-sized European city in FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) strategy
Braga:
- Best City of the Future. Category: Attracting Foreign Investment.
Lisbon:
- Fifth place. Category: Human Capital and Lifestyle
To prepare this ranking, the Financial Times team evaluated 365 European locations grouped as follows according to population density:
- Very large – more than 750 thousand inhabitants.
- Large – comprising more than 500,000 inhabitants.
- Medium – inhabited by a number equal to or greater than 200,000 people.
- Small – between 100 and 350 thousand inhabitants.
- Microcities – with a population of less than 100,000 inhabitants.
After this subdivision of the 365 European cities, 5 variants were observed:
- Economic Potential
- Ease of Business
- Connectivity
- Human Capital and Lifestyle
- Cost benefit
Portuguese cities – in particular Braga, which leads the ranking as the best city of the future in the category aimed at attracting foreign investment in cities with less than 200,000 inhabitants and the city of Porto, which took first place in the category of large cities, are awarded a page in the FDi magazine supplement of the Financial Times, in which business characteristics are praised and also the conditions that these cities provide.
The city of Porto is highlighted as A Global Business Hub for the 21st Century and the authors of this study state that, in recent years, this city has been increasing its appeal to investors and consequently has become one of the investment destinations that grew the most in Europe, both in terms of the number of FDI (External Direct Investment) projects and the number of startups and patent registration in Portugal. The Financial Times magazine also points out that international investors have been looking for Porto in search of highly qualified and innovative talent from the region. Among other aspects, the FDi magazine supplement also highlights some characteristics of this city in the north of the country:
- It is the economic capital of Northern Portugal
- It is considered the business heart of Portugal with the best companies headquartered there (or in the surroundings)
- Proximity to other European cities
- The fact that the Historic Center is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site makes a citizen feel (more) comfortable
- It has modern infrastructures
- Provides a good quality of life
The city of Braga is also covered with a page, in which the supplement praises the existing conditions for the establishment of companies (existing or new business units) and the fact that projects started in that city have reached highly competitive international markets.
