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Following its heyday as a global maritime power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence of its wealthiest colony of Brazil in 1822. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986. In January 2011, Portugal assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2011-12 term. Area and geographical features Mainland area: 92,090 km² - of which 91,470 km² is land and 620 km² water. (Includes Azores and Madeira Islands). Situated on the South Western side of the Iberian Peninsula, Spain is Portugal''s only neighbour. Main rivers are the Tagus (Lisbon) and the Douro (Porto). Location: South Western Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain Areas: Land boundaries: total: 1,214 km Maritime claims: Climate: Maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south Elevation extremes: Natural resources: Fish, Forests (cork), Iron ore, Copper, Zinc, Tin, Tungsten, Silver, Gold, Uranium, Marble, Clay, Gypsum, Salt, Arable land, Hydropower and Eolic Power Land use: Irrigated land: 6,500 km² (1993 est.) Natural hazards: Azores subject to severe earthquakes. Wild fires. Environment - current issues: Soil erosion; caused by industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas. Environment - international agreements:party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental Modification Source: CIA World Fact Book Population: 10,735,765 (Feb 2011 est.) Age structure: Population growth rate: 0.244% (2010 est.) Sex ratio: Life expectancy at birth: Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (2010 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.5% (2007 est.) Nationality: Ethnic groups: homogeneous Mediterranean stock; citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000, since 1990 East Europeans have entered Portugal Religions: Roman Catholic 84.5%, other Christian 2.2%, other 0.3%, unknown 9%, none 3.9% (2001 census)Languages: Portuguese and Mirandes (officially recognised and is part of the school curriculum in the county of Miranda de Douro, eventhough this dialect is not commonly used there are projects for the revival of he historic language Literacy: Standard of living: The standard of living in Portugal is still relatively low in comparison with some of its fellow EU members although recently Portugal has begun to make real progress in this area. GDP per capita in 2010 was $23,113 (IMF 2010). The minimum wage (monthly) is 475 euros. The average monthly wage is 894 euros (GEP 2008). Business Hours: Most businesses are open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Public Holidays
Source: CIA World Fact Book History & Political situation: Portugal was a monarchy from the 11th Century until 1910 when an armed uprising in Lisbon drove King Manuel II into exile and a republic was instigated. A period of great political instability ensued until eventually the military intervened. A new Constitution was drawn up in 1933, which gave formal expression to the corporative "Estado Novo" (New State), personified by Dr Salazar, who ruled the country from 1932 until 1968. Dr Caetano succeeded Salazar but his failure to liberalise the regime or to terminate the wars in the African colonies resulted in his Government being overthrown by a military coup on 25 April 1974. The country underwent a period of dramatic and turbulent change after the coup. The African colonies were given their independence, censorship was abolished and trade unions permitted. A new national assembly based on universal suffrage was elected. The banks and many of the country''s most important industries were nationalised and large agricultural estates were seized. In November 1975 a coup by the extreme left was narrowly averted by the firm action of a small group of moderate army officers. This was followed by a move back to the centre in politics, resulting in the election in April 1976 of the first constitutional Government under the Socialist leader Dr Mario Soares. Country name: Government type: Parliamentary democracy Capital: Lisbon Independence:1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized) - independent republic proclaimed 5 October 1910 National holiday:Portugal Day (Dia de Portugal), 10 June (1580); note - also called Camoes Day, the day that revered national poet Luis de Camoes (1524-80) died Constitution: adopted 2 April 1976; subsequently revised note: the revisions placed the military under strict civilian control, trimmed the powers of the president, and laid the groundwork for a stable, pluralistic liberal democracy; they allowed for the privatization of nationalized firms and government-owned communications media. Legal system: Civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations The Supreme Court of Justice is the highest court. It sits in Lisbon and hears cases from all parts of the country. It may render decisions in civil, criminal and commercial matters. The Constitutional Court hears only cases that involve fundamental principles, such as those contained in the constitution. The Central Administrative Court, which sits in Lisbon, serves as an intermediary court between administrative courts and the Supreme Administrative Court. This court was created in 1996 to hear cases that were previously heard by the Supreme Administrative Court. Executive branch Head of government: Prime Minister: José SÓCRATES (since 12 March 2005). Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Elections: President elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 23 January 2011; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president Election results: Anibal Cavaco Silva re-elected President; percent of vote - Anibal Cavaco Silva (Socialist Democrat) 52.95%, Manuel Alegre (Independent) 19.76%, Fernando Nobre (Independant) 14.1%, Francisco Lopes (Comunist and Green Party) 7.14%, José Manuel Coelho (New Democratic Party) 4.49%, Defensor Moura (Independant) 1.57% Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 September 2009 election results: seats by party - PS 97 (42.17% of vote), PSD 81 (35.22%), CDS/PP 21 (9.13%), The Left Bloc 16 (6.96%), CDU 15 (6.52%). Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (judges appointed for life by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura) Political parties and leaders: Democratic and Social Center/Popular Party or CDS/PP [Paulo PORTAS]; Socialist Party or PS [Jose SOCRATES Carvalho Pinto de Sousa]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Pedro Manuel PASSOS COELHO]; The Left Bloc or BE [Franciso Anacleto LOUCA]; Unitarian Democratic Coalition or CDU [Jeronimo DE SOUSA] (includes Portuguese Communist Party or PCP and Ecologist Party ("The Greens") or PEV) International organization participation: ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, CD, CE, CERN, CPLP, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club (associate), PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Flag description: two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red (three-fifths) with the national coat of arms (armillary sphere and Portuguese shield) centered on the dividing line; explanations for the color meanings are ambiguous, but a popular interpretation has green symbolizing hope and red the blood of those defending the nation National Anthem: Source: CIA World Fact Book Economy overview: The Global Competitiveness Report for 2010-11, published by the World Economic Forum, places Portugal on the 46th position. Most of the country''s trade is with countries of the European Union. 74.2% of Portugal''s imports are from other EU countries and 79.7% of its exports are destined there. Portugal remains a member of EFTA, jointly her second trading partner, taking 9% of exports and providing 6% of imports. Overall the country''s main suppliers are Spain, Germany, France, Italy and the UK. The principal Portuguese export markets are Germany, Spain, France and the UK. Portuguese industry is characterised by small and medium enterprises. 85% of them average 15 employees or less and most are family-owned concerns. Following the 1974 revolution many of the country''s major industries, both manufacturing and services, were taken into public ownership. Since 1987 a series of privatisations has returned most back to private ownership, and in some cases to former owners. The State still retains a handful of large concerns, which it intends privatising as soon as possible. The country''s most important industries are fabrication of transport equipment, textiles and clothing, footwear, electrical equipment, manufacturing and mechanical engineering. In 2001, the service sector accounted for approximately, 69.2% of Portugal's GDP, while manufacturing and construction accounted for 27.3%. Like the economies in other industrialized countries, a shift has occurred towards the service sector over the past decade. Tourism has grown rapidly in recent years, from 20.7 million visitors in 1992 to more than 28 million by the end of 2001. It is now a key sector of the economy. Portugal's major tourist centres are Lisbon and its outskirts, the Algarve region and Madeira. Financial and retail services are also booming. The major manufacturing industries include textiles, clothing and footwear. These industries together with foodstuffs and beverages (primarily wine) accounted for approximately 27.3% of total industrial production. In 1999, the textile industry employed nearly 36.3% of the industrial labour force. These sectors are composed primarily of small and medium-sized companies that are now restructuring to improve competitiveness. Because of the elimination of EU import quotas, companies in the textile and clothing sectors will face increasing competition from the newly industrialized countries in Asia. Other significant industries are chemicals, rubber and plastics. In 1999, these industries accounted for approximately 8.7% of total industrial production and for nearly 12.7% of the industrial labour force. The last few years have seen an influx of foreign investment in the automotive, industrial and paper sectors. Construction has become a significant contributor to GDP as a result of the construction of EU-funded infrastructure improvements, particularly roads, and the construction of new factories. However, as a result of the reduction in the construction of public works, the growth rate of investment in construction decreased from 6.2% in 1998 to 3.5% in 1999. The agricultural, forestry and fishing sector accounts for 3.5% of gross value added and employs about 12.7% of the employed labour force The agricultural sector suffers from structural problems such as low productivity, inefficient use of land and an over reliance on manual labour. For many years Portugal has relied on foreign investment to achieve economic growth. Since it joined the EU in 1986, additional funds have been available in the form of grants and subsidies. EU membership and other economic reforms have had a major impact on industry. Transfers of EU funds (net of taxes paid to the EU) totalled €26.5 billion for the period of 1989 through 1999. Loans from the European Investment Bank resulted in additional funds of €6.5 billion. Small and medium-sized enterprises firms dominate the economic structure. According to the National Institute of Statistics in 1998, approximately 69% of the 265,025 registered companies had less than five workers. Portugal is currently benefiting from a major injection of EU funding to bring its infrastructure up to the standards of other EU countries. Infrastructure schemes thousands of kilometres of new motorways; upgrading of main railway lines; redevelopment of the ports of Lisbon, Oporto and Setúbal; expansion of the Lisbon metro and building a new light railway in Porto; modernising the water system; improvements to post and telecommunication systems; and new hospitals, schools and housing. The government continues to follow a policy of political and economic reform that is designed to liberalize the economy, improve competitiveness and reduce the role of the public sector. The most significant of these reforms include the following:
The government actively encourages foreign investment, particularly if the investment attracts new industries and technologies, or is export-oriented. A variety of incentive schemes are available on a non-discriminatory basis to foreign investors. A company establishing operations in Portugal may negotiate attractive financial grants and tax exemptions. The significant increase in foreign investment in recent years demonstrates the government's success in attracting foreign investors. The scale of investment varies from the purchase of small family companies to multimillion-dollar turnkey projects involving Fortune 500 companies. Portugal has a sizeable skilled labour force, and labour costs are low compared with those of other EU countries. After joining the EU in 1986, Portugal began a cycle of economic growth supported by political stability. Portugal's economy grew at an annual rate of approximately 3% from 1990 to 2000, which exceeded the EU average of 2%. However, the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in 2001 was still one of the lowest in the EU. Since 1992, the government has closely monitored inflation to keep it within the convergence criteria fixed by the EU. This goal was achieved in 1999 when the inflation rate was 2.3%. The rate for 2000 was 2.8%. In 2001, it was above 4%. In 2002, it was 3%. Portugal's unemployment rate has been traditionally low, but its current level of 6.5% is not among the lowest in the EU. In recent years, the Portuguese current account moved into deficit as a result of the increase of domestic demand. This trend is now changing as a result of economic growth combined with a sharp decrease in domestic demand. Financial System The banking sector, together with money and capital markets, has developed steadily since Portugal joined the EU. Economic growth, increased competition and the easing of government controls have contributed to the growth of the sector. In 1992, new legislation governing banking activities entered into force (Decree Law No. 298/92, of 31 December 1992), classifying entities as credit institutions and finance companies, and implementing EU directives on bank coordination and supervision of credit institutions. Central Bank The central bank is named Bank of Portugal (BOP). Under the European System of Central Banks, the European Central Bank (ECB) has assumed the BOP's role in determining monetary policy. The ECB implements euro monetary policy. For example, it issues banknotes, establishes payment systems and conducts foreign-exchange operations. The BOP is the administrator and regulator of the banking system and has powers of supervision and inspection. It authorizes the establishment of credit institutions and finance companies as branches or subsidiaries of companies incorporated in other EU member states. The Ministry of Finance is responsible for licensing non-EU banks, which must operate as Portuguese branches of such banks. Stock Exchange and Securities Regulating Authority Securities Exchanges In 2001, the Lisbon and Oporto Stock Exchange joined Euronext and changed its name to Euronext-Lisbon. Euronext was originally created by the merger of the stock exchanges in Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris in response to growing demand from investors, a political environment favourable to further consolidation in the European capital market and a desire to capitalize on the greater liquidity and lower costs resulting from the introduction of the euro. Euronext-Lisbon lists several types of securities, including public and private bonds, shares, convertible bonds, futures, options and warrants. The spot market of the exchange continues to be located in Lisbon, while the derivative market is located in Oporto. The spot market consists of the following three sections: the official market; the secondary market; and the unlisted market. All stock exchange transactions must be executed by brokers or dealers, who supervise compliance with the relevant laws. In 1993, the unlisted market was established to prevent the proliferation of trading in unofficial markets. This market covers transactions that may be conducted on the stock exchange but do not fulfill all the requirements for admittance to the official quotation market. For example, the issuer of the securities may have insufficient share capital or too few shares owned by the public. To be listed on the stock exchange, companies must satisfy the following requirements:
A company intending to quote its shares must file a petition (admission request) with the Portuguese Securities Market Commission (Comissão do Mercado de Valores Mobiliários, or CMVM). An issuing company must publish a prospectus prepared in accordance with the law. The prospectus, which must be approved by the CMVM, provides detailed information about the share issue and the issuing company. Repo and securities lending transactions are made outside a regulated market. However, Euronext-Lisbon provides several services with respect to such transactions, including clearing, the providing of bid-offer quotations and the guaranteeing of the performance of certain aspects of the transactions. Securities Regulating Authority Decree Law 142-A/91 of 10 April 1991 established the CMVM as the authority in charge of the supervision and regulation of securities and other financial instruments markets in Portugal.
The CMVM also regulates the functioning of securities markets, public offers of securities and the activities of financial market operators by issuing guidance, such as regulations and recommendations. Source: Doing Business in Portugal – 2003 by Ernst & Young in 26 June 2003 GDP Population below poverty line: <22% (2005 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.1% (2010 est.) Labour force: 5.57 million (2010 est.) Labour force - by occupation: Unemployment rate: 10.7% (2010 est.) Agriculture - products: grain, potatoes, tomatoes, olives, grapes; sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, dairy products; fish Electricity - production: 44.47 billion kWh (2007 est.) Exports: USD$46.27 billion (2010 est.)
Exports - commodities:agricultural products, food products, oil products, chemical products, plastics and rubber, skins and leather, wood and cork, wood pulp and paper, textile materials, clothing, footwear, minerals and mineral products, base metals, machinery and tools, vehicles and other transport material, and optical and precision instruments Exports - partners: Spain 26.25%, Germany 12.99%, France 12.04%, Angola 7.21%, UK 5.54% (2009) Imports: USD$68.22 billion (2010 est.) Imports - commodities: agricultural products, food products, oil products, chemical products, plastics and rubber, skins and leather, wood and cork, wood pulp and paper, textile materials, clothing, footwear, minerals and mineral products, base metals, machinery and tools, vehicles and other transport material, and optical and precision instruments, computer accessories and parts, semi-conductors and related devices, household goods, passenger cars new and used, and wine products Imports - partners: Spain 31.58%, Germany 12.41%, France 8.58%, Italy 5.55%, Netherlands 5.31% (2009) Debt - external: $497.8 billion (2010 est) Currency: Portuguese escudo (PTE) - no longer legal tender since March 2002; Euro (EUR) Before 1 January 1999, the currency in Portugal was the escudo (PTE). Effective from that date, Portugal adopted the euro (€) as its currency. The conversion rate for the escudo and the euro was fixed at PTE 200.482=€ 1. The introduction of the euro required substantial technological upgrades in every sector of the economy, including banking and telecommunications. The introduction of euro coins and notes occurred on 1 January 2002. Effective from 1 March 2002, only euro coins and notes are accepted. (Note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Portugal at a fixed rate of 200.482 Portuguese escudos per euro and will replace the local currency for all transactions in 2002) Fiscal year: calendar year. Source: CIA World Fact Book Railways Roadways Waterways: Pipelines: Gas 1,098 km; oil 11 km; refined products 188 km (2009) Ports and harbors: Aveiro, Funchal (Madeira Islands), Horta (Azores), Leixoes, Lisbon, Porto, Ponta Delgada (Azores), Praia da Vitoria (Azores), Setubal, Viana do Castelo Merchant marine: Airports: 65 (2010.) Airports - with paved runways: Airports - with unpaved runways: Source: CIA World Fact Book Military branches: Portuguese Army (Exercito Portuguesa), Portuguese Navy (Marinha Portuguesa; includes Marine Corps), Portuguese Air Force (Forca Aerea Portuguesa, FAP) (2010) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no compulsory military service; women serve in the armed forces, on naval ships since 1993, but are prohibited from serving in some combatant specialties; reserve obligation to age 35 (2010) Manpower available for military service: Manpower fit for military service: Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually: Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.3% (2005 est) Source: CIA World Fact Book to top of page |
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07 February 2012 - 08 February 2012
Business Training / Curso de IRC através do INEDEM com certificação DGERT.
29 February 2012
Workshop sobre o “Novo Acordo Ortográfico” com Euroscript no Hotel Inspira Santa Marta.






