The Secretary of State for Internationalisation, Bernardo Ivo Cruz, has praised the "countless examples of success" of Portuguese companies in the field of civil construction in the "very difficult and competitive" market of North America.

Speaking to Lusa at the Annual Seminar of the Network of Construction Entrepreneurs (CENSE), in the US city of Newark, the Secretary of State welcomed the presence of dozens of Portuguese-American companies at the event, stressing that many travelled from Portugal on purpose to explore business opportunities there.

"Just look around us: we have a huge room, full of companies that came from Portugal and Portuguese companies that were established here, in the state of New Jersey, in the construction sector. This is extraordinary. It is the strength of the Portuguese community, of Portuguese businesses, of the Portuguese language, of how much can be done in a very difficult, very competitive market, a market where everyone is present", he said.

Community strength

Ivo Cruz highlighted that there are "countless examples of success" of Portuguese-American businesses and explained that no one arrives in the United States helpless, since there is strong support both from the Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade of Portugal (AICEP), and from the Portuguese community, already rooted in North American soil. "The Portuguese community is a well-established, well-integrated community that asserts its voice and has economic, political and social importance in the state and in the region. (...) I don't think there are any bad stories in this room, only stories of success".

"There is solidarity between those who were born here, those who arrived a few years ago and those who are arriving now. Companies do not arrive alone. They arrive supported by AICEP, but they also know that there is a network of Portuguese people who can hire them and help them to build this bridge in a very integrated and planned way. There is room for everyone, no one is left unattended and the more who want to come, the more they will be welcome", added the Secretary of State.