The evaluation concluded that Lisbon is a “sophisticated city”, which stands out for the quality of its universities, infrastructure, and security, for its access to private capital, for having a stable local government/administration, and for being a sustainable city.
The country is attracting foreign investors and migrants thanks to its perceived open attitude to foreigners and a low crime rate.
“I wouldn’t dream of doing it back home,” said the Brazilian businessman, who was robbed and assaulted several times while living in São Paulo. “In Lisbon, you don’t have to keep looking over your shoulder.” Says Eduardo Migliorelli decided to move his family to Portugal the evening he discovered he could walk the few hundred meters from a restaurant to his hotel without fear of being attacked.
“Portugal is the most open, tolerant and liberal society I have ever lived in,” said Chitra Stern, a Singaporean of Indian descent who moved to the Algarve in the south of the country in 2001 to look for business opportunities.
Itay Kastel, an Israeli, moved with his family to Portugal in 2016 to expand the property business he had been running for 10 years in Angola. “We’re really happy with our decision. The atmosphere here is embracing and helpful,” he said.
Andy Yacoub, a Londoner, chose Portugal to start a new life with his Mexican wife and young son, obtained Portuguese residence permits for the family within a few weeks and found local banks happy to lend on his existing properties so he could expand his portfolio. “In Portugal, you are welcomed into the community,” he said. “We feel at home here.”
“It was a chance to live in a tax haven that isn’t an island in the Caribbean,”
“We’re in Europe, in a country that has been going through a revival over the last few years.”
The world became slightly less peaceful in 2016, Portugal, which built on gains last year to rise nine places to fifth globally. Europe was the region that suffered most from terrorism compared with last year, with Turkey, France and Belgium among the most affected.
It now accounts for six of the top seven places in the global rankings. The highest-ranking countries in the world remain unchanged from 2015: Iceland, Denmark and Austria. The largest improvement in the region was recorded by Portugal, which built on gains last year to rise nine places to fifth globally. This reflects continuing improvements in the context of the country’s gradual return to political normality following its EU/ IMF economic and financial adjustment process. Notwithstanding the difficulties faced by the left-of-centre government elected in 2015, Portugal has recorded a second year of improvements across numerous dimensions, notably the likelihood of violent demonstrations, but also the Political Terror Scale and political instability. Among the other Eurozone countries to have exited similar bailout arrangements, there were only minor movements: Ireland roughly maintained its score while Spain and Cyprus saw slight deteriorations, Greece, slipped back …
