Since 2014 - the year, in which the Regulation on Investment Projects of Municipal Interest (Made 2IN Projects) came into force - and until the end of this year, the Famalicão local authority has approved 82 business projects of municipal interest, corresponding to a total investment of 348 million euros and the creation of more than 1,600 jobs. 

The creation of a new hotel unit in the municipality by the Mélia Hotels chain is the latest investment covered by the Made 2 IN municipal programme. This is a private investment worth €17.6 million, which will create 37 new jobs in the municipality, to be located in the urbanisation west of Avenida do Brasil, more specifically on Rua João Nepomuceno, in the parish of Antas e Abade de Vermoim. Its classification as a Municipal Investment Project was approved at the last meeting of the municipal executive on 18 December, and its implementation now benefits from a set of financial and procedural incentives, namely the reduction of municipal fees associated with urban planning licensing, tax benefits in terms of Municipal Property Tax (IMI) and permanent monitoring by a project manager, ensuring greater efficiency, speed and predictability in the investment process.

The Mayor, Mário Passos, speaks of an investment attraction tool ‘that has been widely embraced by the business community and has had a significant impact on economic development, job creation and social cohesion, strengthening the competitiveness and attractiveness of the municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão’.

It should also be noted that, in parallel, the Municipality has been strengthening its support for the establishment of new national and international companies through close and continuous monitoring of promoters, and is currently monitoring investments in the order of 700 million euros. "We are an increasingly qualified territory, also due to the public policies we have consistently developed, in a model of governance close to companies, supporting start-ups, promoting qualified employment and strengthening the link between higher education, the scientific system and the business fabric, which results in increased confidence among those who want to invest and choose Famalicão to do so," the mayor also points out, recalling that for 2026, the Municipality of Famalicão has made it a priority to qualify and strengthen the local economic structure, consolidating Famalicão as a hub of economic development aligned with the challenges of the future.