It is with great satisfaction that, together with His Excellency the President of Lithuania, I am taking part in this initiative. Our participation in the opening session of this Portuguese-Lithuanian economic seminar, which brings together entrepreneurs and economic agents from Portugal and Lithuania, bears witness to the importance that we lend to the development of economic relations between our two countries. I would like to thank you all for your presence and hope that the seminar may contribute to improving our mutual knowledge of our economies and open up opportunities for those members of the business community who are taking part.

A large part of today’s diplomacy is economic and increase of trade and investment is a means essential to enhancing relations between peoples, to their development and to their knowledge of each other.
The Portuguese economy and our companies need to diversify the destinations of their exports and to seek new opportunities.
In this field, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe that are now joining the European Union are a natural priority – and it is for this reason that I am accompanied by the secretary of State for Trade, Industry and Services, by the president of the ICEP – the organisation that promotes investment, trade and tourism – and by a large business delegation.

Portugal, too, has already been a candidate, knows what the membership process involves and is fully aware of the acceleration that full membership of the vast economic, cultural and political space brings to economic and social life. On a par with the essential reforms, membership also has a very important effect on the aspirations and on the working of society, bringing about a potential of which one has to learn how to take advantage in order to ensure healthy economic growth.

Development of trade is beneficial to both parties. Mutual knowledge must therefore be improved if complementary factors of our economies are to be seen and bear fruit. In several fields, Portugal provides an excellent quality-to-price ratio, as in the case of textiles and clothing, building materials, several consumer and intermediate goods, and tourism.

Membership of the European Union by Lithuania and the other Baltic States opens up new possibilities, particularly due to greater political and economic predictability and stability, as well as to the financial aid to development provided by membership, within the framework of its concern for economic and social cohesion.

Portugal has experienced remarkable evolution over the past fifteen years and is well aware of how in many areas, infrastructure in particular, Community support and programmes were decisive, though yet more important are internal reforms and the efforts of companies and citizens.

For this, too, we have always supported the enlargement of the European Union to embrace the democracies of Central and Eastern Europe. We did so, in the first place, by conviction and then by coherence, for we recognised through our own experience the decisive importance of our own membership of the then European Communities to the consolidation of political democracy, to the development of the economy, to closer bilateral relations with our European partners and, in general, to the strengthening of our international image. We have, therefore, always considered enlargement to be a duty, a need and an opportunity. A duty of solidarity with the new democracies. An opportunity for development, security, peace and stability on the European continent. A need arising from the globalisation now under way, in which only a larger Union will be able to impose itself and to assert its interests and values.

Consequently, despite being a challenge that causes certain apprehension, particularly with regard to its effect on the economy of countries such as Portugal as a result both of greater competition and of the sharing of the Community aid, enlargement will bring about new opportunities that must be exploited. For example, the increase of the purchasing power of the new member countries will surely provide new opportunities for companies with a better offer and greater competitiveness, including some of those that accompany me and are here today. I therefore believe that there is a vast field to be explored in the area of mutual knowledge and of strengthening relations, which in some cases could include partnerships for investment, given the distance that separates our two countries.

The European Union has an historic and political responsibility to the new member countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and Portugal, which has long benefited from European membership and solidarity, desires that they may have at least equal success.

Our diplomacy, the senior ICEP officials and the Portuguese business community, beginning with those among us today, will surely be committed to the exchange of information and clarification with their Lithuanian counterparts. In this connection, I hope that this seminar may constitute a starting point for stronger economic ties between our countries and I wish all participants a fruitful work.


			Speech by H. E. the President of Portugal at the opening session of the Portuguese-Lithuanian Economic Seminar Vilnius 16 de Maio de 2003 It is with great satisfaction that, together with His Excellency the President of Lithuania, I am taking part in this initiative. Our participation in the opening session of this Portuguese-Lithuanian economic seminar, which brings together entrepreneurs and economic agents from Portugal and Lithuania, bears witness to the importance that we lend to the development of economic relations between our two countries. I would like to thank you all for your presence and hope that the seminar may contribute to improving our mutual knowledge of our economies and open up opportunities for those members of the business community who are taking part. A large part of today’s diplomacy is economic and increase of trade and investment is a means essential to enhancing relations between peoples, to their development and to their knowledge of each other. The Portuguese economy and our companies need to diversify the destinations of their exports and to seek new opportunities. In this field, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe that are now joining the European Union are a natural priority – and it is for this reason that I am accompanied by the secretary of State for Trade, Industry and Services, by the president of the ICEP – the organisation that promotes investment, trade and tourism – and by a large business delegation. Portugal, too, has already been a candidate, knows what the membership process involves and is fully aware of the acceleration that full membership of the vast economic, cultural and political space brings to economic and social life. On a par with the essential reforms, membership also has a very important effect on the aspirations and on the working of society, bringing about a potential of which one has to learn how to take advantage in order to ensure healthy economic growth. Development of trade is beneficial to both parties. Mutual knowledge must therefore be improved if complementary factors of our economies are to be seen and bear fruit. In several fields, Portugal provides an excellent quality-to-price ratio, as in the case of textiles and clothing, building materials, several consumer and intermediate goods, and tourism. Membership of the European Union by Lithuania and the other Baltic States opens up new possibilities, particularly due to greater political and economic predictability and stability, as well as to the financial aid to development provided by membership, within the framework of its concern for economic and social cohesion. Portugal has experienced remarkable evolution over the past fifteen years and is well aware of how in many areas, infrastructure in particular, Community support and programmes were decisive, though yet more important are internal reforms and the efforts of companies and citizens. For this, too, we have always supported the enlargement of the European Union to embrace the democracies of Central and Eastern Europe. We did so, in the first place, by conviction and then by coherence, for we recognised through our own experience the decisive importance of our own membership of the then European Communities to the consolidation of political democracy, to the development of the economy, to closer bilateral relations with our European partners and, in general, to the strengthening of our international image. We have, therefore, always considered enlargement to be a duty, a need and an opportunity. A duty of solidarity with the new democracies. An opportunity for development, security, peace and stability on the European continent. A need arising from the globalisation now under way, in which only a larger Union will be able to impose itself and to assert its interests and values. Consequently, despite being a challenge that causes certain apprehension, particularly with regard to its effect on the economy of countries such as Portugal as a result both of greater competition and of the sharing of the Community aid, enlargement will bring about new opportunities that must be exploited. For example, the increase of the purchasing power of the new member countries will surely provide new opportunities for companies with a better offer and greater competitiveness, including some of those that accompany me and are here today. I therefore believe that there is a vast field to be explored in the area of mutual knowledge and of strengthening relations, which in some cases could include partnerships for investment, given the distance that separates our two countries. The European Union has an historic and political responsibility to the new member countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and Portugal, which has long benefited from European membership and solidarity, desires that they may have at least equal success. Our diplomacy, the senior ICEP officials and the Portuguese business community, beginning with those among us today, will surely be committed to the exchange of information and clarification with their Lithuanian counterparts. In this connection, I hope that this seminar may constitute a starting point for stronger economic ties between our countries and I wish all participants a fruitful work.