Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

How Portugal is going green to prepare for the digital transition

Euronews Next spoke to Portugal’s Economy and Digital Transition Minister Pedro Siza Viera about how the country is embracing technology and start-ups.

Having been the home of the global tech event Web Summit for the last five years, it seems only natural that Portugal would also be at the vanguard of Europe’s digital transformation.

But at a time when the climate crisis is the most pressing issue of the day, addressing environmental concerns has become key to how the country is using technology to meet those digital ambitions.

"The way to accelerate the green transition is, of course, by investing in digital technologies," Portugal’s Minister of State for the Economy and the Digital Transition, Pedro Siza Vieira, told Euronews Next at Web Summit in Lisbon.

"They [digital technologies] help you to better manage resources, to better use your water and to manage complex networks of energy," he said.

"The more you have renewables penetration, the more you have self-consumption decentralised in your homes or at your factories, the more you need to use digital technologies".

Since 2015, Portugal has invested heavily in renewable energy with new solar and floating wind plants. Currently, around 65 per cent of all the electricity consumed in the country comes from renewable sources.

"I think we have a very large penetration of renewable electricity, which has been instrumental not only to make sure that we meet our targets in terms of emissions but also that we reduce volatility on prices of electricity," Siza Vieira said.

The minister added that electricity prices in Portugal will actually be lower next year as the country is much less dependent upon the costs of raw materials such as oil and gas.

'Europe’s start-up nation'


New technologies are not only helping in the fight against climate change but also improving the running of the Portuguese government.

"I think that government has a lot of benefits by using digital technologies to become more transparent, effective and efficient," Siza Vieira said, adding there is still more work to do.

"We realised that we needed to work on a number of topics, such as the infrastructure and 5G technology, to make sure that we have the artificial intelligence, data science, supercomputing capabilities developed in the country because that would catalyse the transformation".

He said the government has been rolling out this technology and that the European Union’s next-generation fund has accelerated the country’s advancement.

The government has also been working to devise a so-called “European start-up nation standard” for the Portuguese presidency of the European Council.

"We came up with the commitment to align the standards, the basic framework, legal-wise, visa-wise, tax-wise, that countries which have a very vibrant start-up scene recognise and we devise this European start-up nation standard and we set up the European start-up alliance, which is based in Lisbon and we will try to use this to become a start-up continent across Europe," Siza Vieira said.

He says Portugal has been successful on the digital front due to the spirit of its entrepreneurialism.

"We currently have five unicorns and I think we will get larger numbers in the next few weeks, which is way above the weight of Portugal in the European economy if you compare it with some 300 unicorns across Europe," Siza Vieria added.

Another reason he says the country has flourished is that it has been successful in attracting investment from companies that want to take advantage of people’s skills in Portugal.

“The younger people are exceptionally well-educated. They're fluent in different languages, they're very comfortable working in international environments,” he said.

How is Portugal trying to lead the digital transition?


But Portugal is also focused on the older generation and those who are less tech-savvy.

The government published its Action Plan for the Digital Transition in April 2020, just before the effects of the pandemic fully hit Europe.

The plan centres on the digital empowerment of people, the digital transformation of companies and the digitisation of the State.

“I would say that the most critical topic is about skills and it's about the people, not only because we still have a lack in terms of training, particularly for the older generations in comparison to the rest of Europe,” Siza Vieira said.

One of the ways the government is aiming to ensure all citizens can reap the rewards of technology is through training and the other is trying to teach basic digital skills such as paying bills online.

The government is aiming to reach one million people - roughly 10 per cent of Portugal’s population.

“We cannot have a digital economy if we do not have the people at large being able to use those technologies, but also because we must make sure that no one is left behind on this transformation,” he said.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×