Portugal, like Ireland, is one of the countries which has reaped the benefits of EU membership. From an income level that was 50 per cent of the European average when Portugal joined in 1985, the percentage has risen to more than 60, with regions such as Lisbon and the surrounding Tagus River valley plain, closer to 70.
The signs of the boom are everywhere as you walk around Lisbon. The lovely capital, with its wide boulevards and splendid statues, is cut up and cut off in dozens of places by construction fences, scaffolding, hoardings and all the trappings of progress. Of course there is a noble end in sight; and certainly it is a good thing that the Praca do Comercio, the fine square
looking out on the broad expanses of the Tagus, is to be reclaimed from its recent car-park past to be a place for people once again. But at the moment just a vista of fencing greets the visitor, shutting off the view of the river and doing nothing to enhance the 19th century buildings on the three sides of the space.
All this work must have a distressing side-effect for the good people of Lisbon: you can tell, from the number of shoeshine "boys" dotted around the city, that the Lisboan is very attentive to the condition of his footwear. And keeping shoes clean when the air is constantly thick with builders' dust can't be easy.
The building work in this charming capital of 2 1/2 million people includes a major extension of the underground railway. But the biggest project of all is east of the centre, where they say the biggest renovation of Lisbon is taking place since the catastrophic earthquake of 1755.
This is the construction of the buildings and infrastructure for Expo '98 in Lisbon, to be attended by delegations from 130 countries, not, alas, including an Irish one.
Mr Nilkanthsing Janarnath of Mauritius, Mr Boris Perfiljev of Kyrgyzstan, Ms Hessa Alossaily of the United Arab Emirates, and representatives of more than 100 other countries are working on their presentation for Expo '98, but the Celtic Tiger has not expressed such an intention.
But back to east Lisbon: five years ago the site was one big dump, in more ways than one. There was a disused oil refinery, solid waste recycling plants, and some pitiful slum houses. To the west of the centre, up towards the 25th April bridge, where the curious non-war memorial (erected to celebrate Portugal having managed to keep out of the second World War) stands on the opposite side of the river, expansion had gone as far as it could, and the city was linking up with neighbouring coastal towns. To the east was a logical choice for new building - but so difficult, and so expensive.
However, displaying the grit which distinguished its pioneering sailors 500 years ago, the Portuguese decided to face up to a dirty job with an eye to the long-term benefits. The project, hand in hand with the Expo plans, is called Expo Urbe, and addresses an area of 340 hectares stretching along 5 km of the Tagus riverfront.
The change has been miraculous. More than 750,000 tonnes of solid waste was removed from the site; the few hundred people who lived there were rehoused; the oil refinery was decommissioned.
"It looks an overwhelming task, but it is being done," says the official Expo spokesman, Mr Tomas Collares Pereira. The cost so far is 3.2 billion escudos (around £10 million), with 8 per cent provided by the EU for infrastructure, and the rest through public money in a company managed by a leading businessman, Mr Jose Torres Campos. The Portuguese government and Lisbon Municipal Council are major shareholders in the Parque Expo SA.
By the time Expo opens on May 22nd next year, more than 1,800 private homes, two hotels and a number of commercial buildings will have risen on the former scorched earth. Expo Urbe will continue work for another decade, with a total of 1,850,000 sq m of built area the final target.
"We are designing this for 25,000 residents after Expo finishes," says Mr Collares Pereira. "It is not going to be an isolated island, all the services will be here."
There will be a shuttle train to the airport and a connection to the new improved Metro system. The main interchange building has been designed by the Spanish architect, Santiago de Calatrava, famed for his bridges, including one built for Seville when it hosted Expo in 1992.
The theme of the 1998 Expo is the Seas, their past, present, and importance for the future of humankind. This is a subject close to Portuguese hearts, and appropriately enough, the opening day of Expo is on the 500th anniversary of Vasco de Gama setting out on his historic voyage to the Far East.