New trade confederation for North

 In Associations, News

Twelve companies from 12 company associations in Portugal’s northern Minho region have lumped together to found one large new association — the Minho Region Business Confederation (Confederação Empresarial do Minho (CONFMINHO)).

The aim is to boost the inter-municipal entities (NUT III) of the Alto Minho, Cávado and Ave Business Association Movement. NUTS III (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistical Purposes) comprises 25 units or sub-regions of Portugal of which 23 are on mainland Portugal and two on the islands of Madeira and Azores.
The president of the newly-appointed conglomerated business association CONFMINHO, Luís Ceia held talks with the Portuguese president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on Friday in Lisbon.
CONFMINHO represents 120,000 companies with a combined business turnover of €3.3Bn million, including €7.9Bn in exports.
Portugal’s Minho region is a historic province in the north of Portugal which had been part of the old province of Entre Douro and Minho until territorial reforms in 1936. It comprises Baixa Minho, Alto Minho and is part of the North Region.
The companies that make up the new confederation are responsible for 28.6% of the total business turnover of the North of Portugal, 27.8% of its companies and 37.9% of exports from the North of Portugal.
The main industrial cities covered by the confederation are Braga, Barcelos, Fafe, Guimarães, Vila Nova de Famalicão and Viana do Castelo.