Embraer announced that the European Union has formally approved the company’s proposed $64.7 million manufacturing complex in Évora, Portugal. The company broke ground in July 2009. “This announcement is faithful to Embraer’s practices where all regional development projects have to be formally and properly approved. We’ve been waiting for the European Union to give us its final okay,” Luiz Fuchs, president of Embraer Aviation Europe, told AIN. The 330,000-sq-ft facility, which is dedicated to manufacturing complex airframe structures and components in composite materials, is scheduled to be completed by the end of next year. “The construction of the second unit, dedicated to the production of metallic airframe structures, will begin shortly. Meanwhile, we are progressing with the selection of suppliers,” he said. According to Fuchs, Embraer studied its globalization process and identified Portugal as the country offering the best resources in terms of developing the aeronautical cluster. “The historical connection between the two countries was an important factor,” he said.