Growing above or below forecasts, exceeding or not exceeding the European average and meeting the targets set by the Government are important indicators, especially in an international context marked by economic slowdown, geopolitical instability and market uncertainty. In this sense, the fact that Portugal continues to demonstrate resilience is good news and confirms that the national economy has become more resilient than a few years ago.

However, the real question begins precisely after we know the number. More important than knowing how much the economy grows is to understand how it is growing. Two countries can have exactly the same growth rate and still be building completely different futures. One grows because it invests in innovation, increases productivity, exports more technology and creates highly qualified jobs. The other grows because it benefits from cyclical factors, increases consumption or receives more visitors. The statistical result may be similar, but the quality of this growth is very different.

This is precisely where Portugal should focus its attention. In recent years, we have seen the arrival of investments in areas such as data centers, artificial intelligence, the technology industry, aeronautical maintenance, renewable energies and the space economy. At first glance, they look like independent projects. In fact, they all point in the same direction: to increase the country's productive capacity, incorporate more knowledge into the economy and create greater added value.

This transformation is far more important than any quarterly GDP growth. True economic development does not result only from producing more. It results from producing better. It results from the ability of companies to innovate, to incorporate technology, to increase productivity and to compete in sectors where knowledge makes a difference. This is what allows us to pay better salaries, attract talent and create wealth in a sustainable way.

Of course, there are still challenges that do not disappear just because the economy grows. Bureaucracy, the slowness of many administrative processes, the shortage of skilled labor in some sectors and the need to accelerate innovation continue to limit the country's potential. Solving these problems will have far more impact on long-term growth than celebrating one or another tenth percent of GDP.

Therefore, we must look at the economic figures with satisfaction, but also with ambition. Growing is important. Growing better is essential. The real objective has never been to improve a statistical indicator, but to build a more competitive, more productive economy that is better prepared to face an increasingly demanding world.

If Portugal manages to consolidate this path, GDP growth will no longer be just good news every quarter. It will become the natural consequence of an economy that creates more value, invests more in knowledge and offers better opportunities to the next generations. This, in my opinion, is the real challenge that the country must face.