Portugal is the example of a country where the 2008 and 2009 crisis has led to a good response, including structural reforms, and has put the country in a position to take advantage of the strong economic recovery in Europe and to have good economic growth Paul Thomsen said at a press conference on Friday, as part of the Spring Meetings in Washington.

Responding to a question from Lusa about the Fund's projections for Portuguese economic growth this year and in the coming years, the former head of the IMF mission in Portugal praised the country for the indicators it has presented.

According to Thomsen, Portugal did very well and its good indicators attest to the successful implementation of the programme it had, and to the determination of the new Government to continue with the programme and fiscal consolidation.

In terms of the challenges or risks facing the country, the director of the European Department of the IMF noted that public and private debt and the financial sector were the main concerns.

In forecasts presented on Tuesday, the IMF was slightly more optimistic for 2018, expecting more economic growth (2.4%) and less unemployment (7.3%) than the Portuguese government.