The annual rate of growth in Portuguese gross domestic product was 2.8 percent in the second quarter of this year, the same as in the first, as domestic demand and investment remained strong, Reuters reports, citing Portuguese National Statistics Institute data.

The news agency quotes Portuguese Finance Minister Mário Centeno as describing the growth as “a positive signal for the sustainability and balance of the Portuguese economy, which has grown for 15 consecutive quarters and at an average rate above the European average”.

The government has forecast that annual growth in GDP will accelerate to 1.8 percent this year from 1.4 percent last year, while the Portuguese central bank forecasts growth of 2.5 percent this year, Reuters says.