Durâo Barroso urges Spain and Portugal to open Europe to Africa and Ibero-America

The Diplomat Former Portuguese Prime Minister and former President of the European Commission, José Manuel Durâo Barroso, yesterday urged Spain and Portugal to strengthen the unity of Europe by promoting solid ties with Africa and Ibero-America. Barroso made this call during the speech he gave at the “Inspira Portugal” event, organized by the Portuguese Embassy in Spain, together with the Ramón Areces Foundation to celebrate the 50 years of restoration of democracy in the two countries. Before the intervention of the former President of the Commission, Raimundo Pérez-Hernandez, General Director of the Ramón Areces Foundation, where the event was held, spoke; and the Portuguese ambassador in Madrid, João Mira Gomes, who reviewed the programme that was to be developed throughout the day, with interventions by experts from both countries and tastings of Portuguese products. Mira Gomes recalled that in 2025 it will also be 40 years since Spain and Portugal signed their accession to the European Communities and stressed that on the 23rd the XXXV Portuguese-Spanish bilateral summit will take place in the Portuguese city of Faro. Durão Barroso said, when taking the floor, that he wanted to give a pessimistic view of the EU, although he did not avoid the problems that affect us, insisting on the need to counteract the "mobilization of resentment" that the so-called Global South is accumulating against Europe because of "Russian and Chinese propaganda." For this reason, he asked that the "Iberian complicity" that has existed since Portugal and Spain recovered democracy and joined the European Community a few years later, with such success, be maintained. However, he clarified that this complicity does not have to be coincidence, but convergence with complicity, "because coincidence - he said - does not allow us to explore the added value." Barroso pointed out that "if there is a European global civilization, it was, first of all, because Spain and Portugal were the first in Europe to go to other parts of the world to contribute to a global civilization." "Therefore, without arrogance, but with some pride - he added - we have to defend these values. The former president of the Commission stressed that the time has come for “Spaniards and Portuguese to tell Europe together that we need a stronger Europe, a political Europe, without complexes, a Europe that is not ashamed of being Europe.” After recalling that the two countries have a great historical experience, he considered it “fundamental” to project Europe outside Europe “and to avoid - he said - that some of our enemies or adversaries mobilize what they now call the 'Global South' against Europe.” The Portuguese politician warned: “With Chinese and Russian propaganda, today there is what I call the 'mobilization of resentment' against Europe. Against a Europe seen as the former colonialists and against the USA as the imperialists.” For this reason, he stated: "We, Spain and Portugal, linked to Africa and Ibero-America, can also maintain our complicity with other parts of the world, to avoid Europe having to be in a defensive position. Europe can and must be closer to Africa and closer to Latin America, to avoid this global polarization" that is so dangerous. And he concluded: "We cannot allow the Global South to be against us. Spain and Portugal have to have a longer-term vision towards other parts of the world." The day was closed by the Portuguese Minister of Economy, Pedro Reis, and ended with a performance by the Portuguese singer Salvador Sobral, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2017. Bilateral summit in Faro As the ambassador pointed out, Faro, in the Algarve, will be the city that hosts the announced Portuguese-Spanish Summit, which is now in its 35th edition and will be chaired by the head of the Spanish Executive, Pedro Sánchez, and his Portuguese counterpart, Luis Montenegro. It will be the first summit in which the conservative Luis Montenegro, who has been at the head of the Government of the neighbouring country since last April, will participate. Both leaders met in Moncloa, because the Portuguese Prime Minister travelled to Madrid a few days after taking office. However, both leaders have already met previously, as the Portuguese Prime Minister visited La Moncloa days after taking office. Among other things, Spain and Portugal are expected to ratify in Faro a recently reached agreement on a flow regime in the final stretch of the Guadiana River, which aims to ensure the good condition of the estuary and equitably distribute the available flows for the socio-economic uses of Spain and Portugal. In addition, the project for a high-speed train between Lisbon and Madrid is expected to be on the table, but is not expected to come into operation until 2034. The last edition of the summit was held in Lanzarote, on March 15, 2023 with Sánchez and the also socialist, António Costa, who after leaving the Portuguese Executive has been elected president of the European Council. The previous year, 2022, the bilateral summit was held in the Portuguese city of Viana do Castelo, where they discussed the green hydrogen corridor that runs from Portugal to Marseille passing through Spanish territory.

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