Luís Montenegro to address UN General Assembly and ring NYSE closing bell

United Nations agenda

Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro will attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The general debate begins on Tuesday under the official theme "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation." Montenegro is scheduled to deliver his address to representatives of the 193 member nations on Thursday afternoon, 24 September. The visit takes place a few months before Portugal assumes a seat on the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member.

Diplomatic meetings and ocean initiative

Montenegro's itinerary at the United Nations headquarters on Wednesday, 23 September, centres on a morning meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Portuguese Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Paulo Rangel will also participate in the bilateral discussions. The meeting marks the final General Assembly session for Guterres, who concludes his second and final term as head of the global body.

In the year in which the current UN Secretary-General will conclude his second and last term, Luís Montenegro made a point of having his first appointment on the 23rd be a meeting with António Guterres, to whom the Prime Minister will express gratitude for his constant commitment to defending the UN Charter and multilateralism.

Later on Wednesday, Montenegro will attend the official launch of the OceanEye Alliance at UN headquarters. Chaired by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the European project aims to strengthen ocean observation and expand access to critical marine data for scientific research, economic planning, and environmental protection. On Tuesday evening, following his arrival in the city, Montenegro will attend the annual reception hosted by US President Donald Trump for visiting world leaders.

Economic ties and New York Stock Exchange

The prime minister arrives in New York at 13:00 on Tuesday (18:00 Lisbon time). Two hours after landing, Montenegro will visit the New York Stock Exchange, where he will ring the closing bell to mark the end of the trading session. Following the market ceremony, he will inaugurate a Portuguese filigree jewellery store in the city.

The invitation to ring the closing bell reflects Portugal's economic indicators, including gross domestic product growth above the Eurozone average, positive public budget balances, declining national debt levels, and record employment figures.

Trade balance and direct investment

Montenegro's office stated that the trip will emphasize the growth of bilateral economic links between Portugal and the United States. In 2025, the United States was Portugal's fourth largest export customer for goods, representing a 5.8% market share valued at 4.6 billion euros. The United States was also Portugal's tenth largest supplier of goods, accounting for a 2.1% share of imports worth 2.4 billion euros.

Portugal has maintained a positive trade balance in goods and services with the United States since 2021. Between 2021 and 2025, Portuguese exports to the United States grew at an average annual rate of 15.4%, while imports expanded by 5.0% annually. In 2025, total bilateral exports reached 9.7 billion euros against 3.6 billion euros in imports, generating a trade surplus of approximately 6 billion euros. Travel and tourism, which accounted for 51.6% of Portuguese service exports in 2024, recorded an 8% increase in 2025. Immediate US foreign direct investment in Portugal reached 4.8 billion euros in 2025, a 15.9% rise from 2024, ranking the United States as the seventh largest foreign investor in the country.