Lisbon

The capital city of Portugal with a population of approximately 2.8 million in its metropolitan area is the principal driver of the country's economic growth, representing nearly 45 percent of the Portuguese GDP. The attractiveness of Lisbon as an investment location results from a growing number of real estate transactions and the expansion of tourism projects. Furthermore, Lisbon has evolved into Europe's major IT hub. For example, the largest technology conference in Europe has been organised since 2016 in Lisbon.
 
According to the 2016 European Digital City Index, the low cost of living and the high quality of life have attracted many companies and talented expats to the city, making Lisbon a thriving start-up hub in Europe. Moreover, the city offers a skilled and multilingual workforce, affordable housing and lower payroll costs as compared to other European metropolitan areas, as well as renowned universities and training centres.
 
To further encourage investment, the national and city governments have enacted a package of tax reliefs, reduced tax rates applicable to new businesses and introduced residence permit programmes aimed at simplifying bureaucratic procedures and promoting internationalisation. Although the major focus of the economy is on technology and the IT sector, strong growth in the textiles, automotive, mechanical engineering, construction, renewable energy and healthcare industries is also expected in the coming years.
 
From our Rödl & Partner office in Lisbon, our colleagues provide businesses from German- and Portuguese-speaking countries with one-stop-shop services in all audit, law and tax related matters.