The Regional Director for Support to the Investment and Competitiveness stated in Lisbon that the Investment and Competitiveness Incentive System - Competir+ has been "leverage economic growth" on the nine islands of the Azores.
 
"Competir + is designed to support private initiative. As a very comprehensive and generous instrument, considering its five subsystems, it has certainly leveraged economic growth in the Azores," said Ricardo Medeiros, who spoke Thursday at the opening of Quinta dos Açores' Ice Cream Parlour.
 
This incentive system has already registered 1,100 investment applications, which represents an overall amount of 475 million Euros and the creation of more than 2,000 jobs.
 
Ricardo Medeiros also stated that household consumption in the Azores "continues to show a very positive evolution, taking into account the 3.59% growth in constant retail sales registered by the Region in January in comparison with the same month of 2018."
 
According to the retail sales index released by the Azores Regional Statistics Service (SREA), the purchase of foodstuffs in regional commercial establishments registered an average variation of 3.84% in the last 12 months, considering seasonal adjustments.
 
The Regional Director also stressed that innovation "is a form of differentiation and a factor of competitiveness that can generate added value for companies and families."
 
In this regard, the government official mentioned that the Azores Brand "is an example of differentiation" for the promotion of regional products and for their contribution to increasing exports.
 
"The Support Programme for the Purchase of Azorean Products by Restaurants and Hotels is another important asset, an initiative intended to promote the consumption of regional produces certified with the Azores brand," said Ricardo Medeiros. As he emphasised, it is "decisive for the dynamics of the production sector and complementary tourism sectors as well as for the reduction of imports."