International investors identify opportunities. Technology companies set up operations. Foreign universities are looking for partnerships. Projects related to energy, data centres, artificial intelligence and innovation are beginning to emerge in different regions of the country. However, internally, we are often stuck in debates that seem to belong to another era.

The world is changing at an astonishing speed. Artificial intelligence is transforming entire sectors of the economy. Energy has become a strategic asset. Talent is now one of the most sought-after resources on the planet. Countries compete for investment, knowledge, innovation and productivity. And for the first time in many decades, Portugal is relatively well positioned to benefit from several of these transformations simultaneously.

We have a growing renewable energy production capacity. We have a privileged geographical location. We have universities that produce internationally recognised talent. We have quality of life, political stability and security. We are able to attract qualified professionals, global companies and large-scale technology projects.

But there is a problem.

While the world discusses how to create wealth through innovation, technology and productivity, Portugal too often remains focused on discussions that do little to accelerate economic growth. We remain trapped in excessive bureaucracy, slow administrative processes, ongoing ideological conflicts, and a decision-making culture that rarely keeps pace with global investment.

It is not a question of ignoring workers' rights, the importance of social protection or the role of the State. It is about recognising that the economy of the twenty-first century requires different responses from those that served a much more closed and less competitive society fifty years ago.

When an investment takes years to get approvals. When strategic projects are blocked by successive administrative interpretations. When wealth creation is often viewed with suspicion rather than as a condition for funding better public services, something is clearly out of line with what the world demands.

The reality is simple. The countries that will lead the coming decades will be those that can attract talent, accelerate innovation, ensure competitive energy and create conditions for business growth. They will not necessarily be the largest. Not even the richest. They will be the most agile.

Portugal has a rare opportunity today. Global trends are finally favouring some of its biggest competitive advantages. The Atlantic has once again had strategic relevance. Renewable energy has become an economic factor. Quality of life began to influence business decisions. Technology allows you to create value away from the large traditional financial centres.

But none of these advantages is guaranteed.

The real risk for Portugal is no longer a lack of resources, nor a lack of talent, nor even a lack of investment. The real risk is to continue to respond to the challenges of the present with models of thought built to respond to the problems of the past. Because while we endlessly discuss what divides us, other countries are focused on what will make them grow.

Portugal can benefit from the major global trends of the 21st century. The question is whether he will have the courage to abandon some of the habits, blockages and debates that still keep him too stuck in the twentieth century.