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1. What is the long-term vision you have regarding the development of your municipality?
The development of the municipality Macedo de Cavaleiros takes place in three different vectors:
- Dynamisation of the local higher education: adjust the offers with regard to education and formation to the necessities of the entrepreneurial structure and/or existing industry or the ones intending to locate in the municipality.
- Tourism: this is without any doubt a strategic option for the future of our municipality. Macedo de Cavaleiros has an enormous potential for tourist related development that still has to be explored, like the Natural Park of Azibo with its river beaches, the Serra de Bornes, the rural zones of the municipality, the thermal bathes, tourism related to hunting, agritourism and others.
- Centre for entrepreneurial development: the Municipality is working on the installation of a support cabinet for entrepreneurs in order to support companies that intend to develop their activities in the municipality. It should facilitate inter-institutional contacts, support start-ups and accompany existing companies in the municipality.
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2. Why do you consider your municipality to be attractive as a location for companies and businesses?
One of the important factors is its regional centrality and its accessibility. The municipality is located at the centre of the Region of Trás-os-Montes (Northeast of Portugal) and the industrial zone is situated at the crossing of two principal motorways exempt of tolls, the IP4 (future motorway without toll) which allows to reach Spain within 30 minutes, the closest seaport in 2 hours and 30 minutes and the IP2 linking Trás-os-Montes to the motorways A22 and A25 in Guarda and in Celerico de Beira.
Two other important added values are the presence of an Institution of Higher Education in the municipality in order to locally qualify our human resources, as well as the creation of a cabinet for entrepreneurial support, not only to attract the installation of companies but as well to support the development of their activities.
Communications are about to become more effective as there is the commitment to settle down in the municipality an optical fibber infrastructure. It can also be emphasised, that the municipality offers as well benefits in fiscal terms: the companies settled in the municipality are exempt of paying the municipal surcharge over corporate tax.
Apart from the stated factors the municipality has an excellent health and emergency aid network and educational, sports and cultural facilities, which enable qualitative options for leisure time.
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3. Do you think that the municipality has a vocation and is in the position to receive Foreign Direct Investment?
I definitely think so. Apart of being generally favourable to entrepreneurial development as mentioned before, the municipality has a Cabinet for Support of Emigrants and a Local Support Centre for Immigrants in its town hall that enable simplified solutions with regard to the bureaucracy related to the foreign population in our municipality. The Entrepreneurial Support Centre continuously accompanies companies, and not only at the beginning of their activity, which allows companies located in the municipality to have access in due time to all necessary information concerning national legislation, programmes and existing incentives, to which companies can apply.
Terrains and adequate infrastructure are available and not overloaded, and the dialog with public decision makers is easy.
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4. And concerning Domestic Investors?
Besides the factors favouring foreign investors which are as well valid for national investors, our municipality has another enormous advantage in comparison to municipalities situated on Portugal’s coast: the quality of life of our inhabitants and workers, for instance shorter home-work travel distances, the simplicity to access support services for children and other dependants, and the absence of traffic jams, which allow companies to maximise the potential of their human resources.
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5. Is there any person or service available with the task to support potential investors who are considering establishing their production units in your municipality?
The Cabinet of Entrepreneurial Support, already mentioned before, is directly under my supervision and can count on my full commitment. Additionally, there is also in the municipality an entrepreneurial association, and another one within 20 minutes in the Distrito of Bragança.
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6. Which specific incentives could be offered to entrepreneurs who intend establishing their units in your municipality?
The municipality is part of the group of regions that benefit from specific fiscal advantages for investments, awarded by the Portuguese government. Additional, it belongs to a region of convergence, in terms of EU funds, which, as is known, will be privileged in the scope of the National Strategic Reference Framework (QREN-Quadro Referencia Estrategico Nacional) for the period 2007–2013.
Other benefits are the exemption of municipal surcharge over corporate tax, attractive land prices, the possibility of support for professional training programmes, and institutional support for licensing.
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7. What is the availability of labour in the area?
There are many qualified young people in our region, who are sometimes forced to look for jobs in other regions or in foreign countries. Additionally there are many that are motivated to learn and get professional training, which can be done in the municipality and according to the specific needs of the company. Apart of the local Institution for Higher Education there are other entities for training settled in the municipality of which the Employment and Vocational Training Institute of Macedo de Cavaleiro should be highlighted as it not only has training offers but as well diversified programmes for enterprise support and dynamisation.
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8. How is the municipality being promoted so as to attract investors?
Until now promotion is done mainly through sponsoring of a set of initiatives related to sports, culture and economy (like exhibitions), in local areas incorporating the values and natural resources of the region, which have drawn attention to our municipality and induced a significant increase of visitors.
However a broader promotion plan is going to be determined, which will take advantage of a set of valuable investments about to be concluded. We wish to offer solid and real values and assets and not only promises about what we are going to do or what we are going to have.
There will be as well a formal development plan of the municipality of Macedo de Cavaleiros available soon which can be seen as a public commitment for the future.
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9. Is there a specific message you have for potential investors?
Macedo de Cavaleiros is a middle sized and young city that allows companies to optimise their added value: its people; they are not exposed to the consumption and stress of larger cities, and thus are free to optimise their performance and devotion to the company.
On the other hand, the fact that Macedo de Cavaleiros is the central city of the Trás-os-Montes region, 30 minutes from Spain and 2 hours and 30 minutes from the closest international seaport, that it has good accessibility, and is a national reference in terms of cultural dynamism, sports and natural resources, with an enormous potential for tourism related development, results in an ideal location to invest and, above all, to live.
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