Porto and Braga appear in the fDi Intelligence magazine ranking, "European Cities and Regions of the Future 2022/23 - the Best and the brightest among Europe investments destination", published by the British newspaper Financial Times. The two cities are in the top 10 of two distinct categories, which once again shows that Portugal remains on the radar of investors, even in times of pandemic.
Porto is in third position in the ranking of medium-sized European cities, in the category of best strategy for attracting foreign direct investment, having risen two places compared to the previous edition of the study (2020/21). Vilnius (Lithuania) and Belfast (United Kingdom) occupy, in this order, the first two places on the podium.
Braga is considered the fifth city of the future in the category dedicated to the strategy for attracting foreign investment, with respect to cities with a population of up to 200 thousand inhabitants, having also moved up two places in the ranking in relation to the previous study (2020/2021). Doncaster (United Kingdom) leads this ranking, ahead of Londonderry (United Kingdom), Plovdiv (Bulgaria) and Middlesbrough (United Kingdom).
Porto City Hall praises the strategy of attracting investors
"The result reflects the priority that the municipality of Porto gives to economic dynamism and job creation by attracting foreign companies and investors to Porto. The municipal strategy is led by InvestPorto, a municipal division specialised in promoting and facilitating direct investment. Since its creation in 2015, InvestPorto has already contributed to the attraction of more than 1,700 million euros in investment and the creation of more than 18,000 new jobs in Porto," reads the Porto.pt website, produced by the municipal department of communication and promotion of the Porto City Council (CMP).
According to the local authority, to draw up this ranking, the panel of judges invited by fDi Magazine assessed the investment promotion strategies of 75 European cities and regions, grouped according to their population. Among the various indicators considered were the type of investments attracted in the last 18 months, the fastest growing sectors and the initiatives taken to promote post-pandemic economic recovery.
CMP adds that the "fDi European Cities and Regions of the Future" awards ceremony will be held on 15 March, in parallel with MIPIM 2022, Europe's largest real estate investment fair, where the Municipality of Porto will once again be present with its own stand and the largest representation ever.