On the tenth day of June, Portugal celebrates its National Day. Unlike many countries, this date is not associated with a military victory or the proclamation of a republic; their day is dedicated to language, poetry, and the people scattered across every continent. This day was chosen to commemorate the death of the poet Luís de Camões, author of the epic poem The Lusiads, and Portuguese people around the world celebrate everything that connects them.
Following the celebration of this Atlantic nation's National Day in Belgrade, we spoke with His Excellency the Ambassador of Portugal, José Vélez Caroço, about the centuries-old friendship between the two countries, Serbia's European future, and the surprising similarities between our two nations.
"Even though we also have many ancient battles and quite remarkable political events during our almost 900-year-long history, Portugal commemorates its national day on 10 June to mark the death of the poet Camões in 1580. He wrote the epic The Lusiads (Os Lusíadas), published in 1572, which celebrates Vasco da Gama's exploration of the sea route to India and the maritime world discoveries of the 16th century.
On 10 June, we also celebrate the Portuguese language, spoken across several countries, as well as Portuguese communities worldwide.
Portugal is situated in the most southwestern part of Europe, facing the Atlantic Ocean, and has a long maritime tradition. It offers plenty of wonderful things to see and do, from the long sandy beaches on the coastline to the inland mountains and plains. With its rich cultural heritage, Portugal today is a very modern country, with a cosmopolitan, friendly, and very vibrant society that loves welcoming foreigners and visitors. I am glad to see that many Serbians are visiting us, taking advantage of the direct flights from Belgrade to Lisbon and Porto."
Serbia and Portugal have had diplomatic relations since 1882. How would you assess the state of those relations today?
"The solid bilateral relations between Portugal and Serbia have been excellent for a very long time. Naturally, the Portuguese Embassy in Belgrade aims to continually foster and improve them further.
In the cultural field, I am happy to see how much Serbia enjoys Portuguese literature, with José Saramago’s books being translated into Serbian, as well as our music, such as Fado.
In the economic and trade sectors, there is still room to be more ambitious. We encourage all possible private-sector investments in both markets, taking into consideration that Serbia expects to join the EU and the single market in the near future, which we fully support."
The European path
At the beginning of June, the President of the European Council, António Costa, paid an official visit to Serbia as part of a wider tour of the Western Balkans, which concluded with the EU-Western Balkans summit in Tivat.
During the visit, he held a one-on-one meeting with President Aleksandar Vučić, followed by talks between the delegations of Serbia and the EU, which included the participation of Prime Minister Đuro Macut and several ministers.
The visit of the President of the European Council, António Costa, to the Western Balkans attracted a lot of attention. How does Portugal view the European future of the region, and of Serbia in particular?
"We view it within the European Union. Absolutely! Portugal has always supported Serbia's European Union membership without any hesitation. Serbia belongs to Europe and should be a European Union member state sooner rather than later. The same applies to the other Western Balkan candidates - all of them - as the Portuguese Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, clearly stated very recently at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tivat on 5 June.
This year, Portugal celebrates its 40th anniversary since becoming an EU member state, having acceded in 1986 to the then European Communities alongside Spain. We value what we have achieved since then and the profound economic and social transformation we have experienced over the past decades, which is why we believe other countries, like Serbia, should follow a similar path.
Furthermore, we consider that the EU itself benefits from enlargement, which is a current geopolitical imperative. A bigger and stronger Europe is better for everyone in a world facing so many challenges."
What is the most important thing Serbia should do today to move closer to EU membership?
Every candidate country knows the necessary requirements and is evaluated according to its own merits. It’s not easy to adapt internally across so many fields, as it affects almost all aspects of society and public administration, and the process generally takes much longer than anticipated.
For my country, back in the seventies and eighties, it was also quite a long, difficult, and sometimes painful process. There is no doubt that changing, adopting reforms, and even making some sacrifices is hard to do. But it is an effort worth making, and with the necessary will and focus on that goal, all difficulties can be successfully overcome.
Nowadays, there are mechanisms provided by the EU itself to help, support, and better prepare countries during the complex negotiation process, which Serbia can take full advantage of. With perseverance and the goodwill of all, results can certainly be achieved in the end.
What is your view of the phased approach to EU enlargement?
"Anything that can bring the candidate countries and their peoples closer to the EU, even before full accession, is a positive step. What people can immediately feel in their daily lives is especially important, and I am thinking, for instance, of mobile phone roaming or the Erasmus programme for students.
If some kind of phased approach is considered more convenient to better achieve the final goal of full accession, we should naturally look into it. We must bear in mind that even within the EU, there are certain differences and integration variations among the member states themselves, such as the Schengen area or the Euro currency.
Of course, full membership is what candidate countries are aiming for - whether the Western Balkan countries, Ukraine, or Moldova - and Portugal completely supports exactly that."
Trade and economic co-operation
According to the latest available data, the annual trade turnover between Serbia and Portugal ranges between just a few tens of millions of euros.
Although trade between the two countries could be significantly better, a positive momentum has been observed in several directions in recent years.
Trade and economic cooperation between Serbia and Portugal are growing, but there is still room to do more. Which sectors have the greatest potential for stronger cooperation?
"Indeed. Tourism is an area where we are seeing significant growth in both directions, with Serbians travelling to Portugal and Portuguese tourists coming to Serbia. Air Serbia’s direct flights have played an important role here.
Taking into consideration Portugal’s current know-how and experience in the green economy - namely in renewable energy and urban water treatment management - we encourage exploring opportunities to cooperate in that area, as well as in advanced technologies.
I am happy to note that many Serbian startups have successfully participated over the years in the Lisbon Web Summit, a major annual global event, with the next edition scheduled for 9–12 November."
(EUpravo zato)