Visita dos Embaixadores da UE à Região
Autónoma dos Açores, 15 e 16/09/2025
Almoço no Solar da Madre de Deus
Angra do Heroísmo, 16/9/2025
Senhor Embaixador da Dinamarca
Senhor Vice-Presidente do Governo Regional
Excellencies
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the Autonomous Region of Azores.
We are very happy and grateful to the Danish Presidency – thank you Ambassador Lars Nielsen – for organising this mission to the Azores.
Let me say a few words of introduction and then I will be ready to answer any queries you may have.
I already sent to the Danish presidency the text of my speech on the 10th of June in which I spoke about Peace and War and the international security context and its impact on our policies.
I have not much to add but let me now emphasize that the EU is a top priority for Portugal, not only determining our external policy, but having an impact in practically all aspects of the governance of the country. This is true on the national level but also on the regional level, as far as Azores is concerned.
We should all be proud and consider ourselves fortunate for being part of such a successful, generous and open project as the EU.
The future of the EU will be our future.
Until recently we have been in a haven of peace, prosperity and justice, enjoying a political and social democratic system approved by an immense majority of our citizens.
We were shaken on the 24th of February 2022 by the brutal, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia, denying Ukraine the right to exist as an independent country, choosing its own political system and alliances.
The EU reacted with determination, but also with caution and prudence, trying to avoid that the conflict would spread to a global war.
The transatlantic relationship has been revived and NATO became stronger with Finland and Sweden as new members.
Unfortunately, the war is grinding on and new sources of uncertainty have arisen, which imply new challenges to the EU.
The new context has been a wake-up call for the EU and an existential test to our ability to ensure our own security in a new international environment.
The US continues to be an indispensable partner of NATO, a defensive alliance, we must stress, which continues to be the guarantee for a military superiority which will hopefully refrain Russia from its expansionist ambitions.
But the new realities impose on the EU the necessity to rely on itself.
First of all, on its security and defence which must be at the top of our agendas. Deterrence and collective defence, which have been the main purposes of NATO and kept the peace for so long, must continue to be ensured and that can only be achieved by increasing exponentially our military strength and capabilities.
We must stand firm on our support to Ukraine. Our future will depend on the outcome of this ugly war. Surrender is not an option.
We must also strengthen ourselves economically, either individually and collectively, reducing our dependencies and increasing our co-operative efforts, particularly on strategic and sensitive sectors, like cyber, maritime, space, digital, defence and innovation.
We must be an economic powerhouse and we have to increase our influence and relevance world-wide, which seems to be fading.
Finally, the EU must do its utmost to gain a political weight and to have a cardinal role and relevance in the world affairs.
Military power, economic security and political weight are complementary areas, which reinforce one another.
To achieve this, we need strong leadership and to unite our efforts, to speak in one voice and strengthen our mutual co-operation.
We need to be consistent and coherent, avoiding erratic policies and undesirable fragmentation, we need to keep our cultural cohesion and our solidarity and we need to preserve our identity and fundamental values and way of life.
We need to keep up the health and vigour of our societies and counter all attempts, coming from inside or outside, to weaken our collective will.
At the same time, we must continue to try very hard to find ways in achieving a just and durable peace and finish the senseless carnage and destruction which the Ukrainian people have endured for more than 3 years. As the President of Republic said, and I quote: “without peace everything is nothing”.
Let me focus on the Azores.
The new context and new threats have highlighted and reinforced the strategic importance of the Azores and its role to enhance the international security keeping the North Atlantic as a zone of peace and ensuring the safety of the transatlantic maritime navigation and air traffic and the security of digital communications, so important in our time. Azores is also a most valuable logistic hub in the middle of the Atlantic.
Azores is an important link between Portugal and the US. The facilities of Lages had a crucial role during the 2nd World War for the anti-submarine warfare. They have been at the disposal of our American allies for over 70 years under a Cooperation and Defence Agreement, and their use has been critical for the US in a number of occasions, namely during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and more recently during the Gulf War.
The area of our economic exclusive zone is one of the largest in the EU and surveillance and rescue operations are an important part of the tasks of the Portuguese Navy and Airforce.
Keeping an eye on the movements of the Russian fleet, nowadays more and more frequent, is also an important mission of our Armed Forces.
Let me also mention that there are in Azores 3 monitoring stations, one in São Miguel, another in Graciosa and another in Flores, which detect and register any nuclear related activities worldwide, which are run by the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization, whose siege is in Viena.
No less important are all the activities for the protection of the ocean, its resources and richness and of the diversity of its eco system.
The University of Azores, especially through its pole on the island of Faial, focusses its work in the scientific research on the ocean and has many cooperation agreements with institutions from around the world.
The work to monitor the climatic changes and its impact on the ocean is particularly important.
Azores has also taken a pioneer stand establishing protected maritime areas in 30% of the waters under Portuguese jurisdiction.
Our maritime dimension will exponentially increase with the extension of our continental shelf (to more than 2 million square kilometres, the 2nd largest maritime area in the EU after France). The request for the extension of our continental shelf was submitted to the UN in May 2009.
Azores is a superb asset for Portugal and also for NATO and the EU, which we must all value and try to reinforce its capabilities in all fields, both military and civilian and put into use for the benefit of our countries.
Initiatives like the Atlantic Centre and the Air Centre deserve our attention and active support. Among other important benefits they will allow us to outreach the countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean of the Global South and promote a co-operation with them with mutual advantages.
The airspace with the new technologies has gained an increasing importance. The setting up of the Portuguese Space Agency on the island of Santa Maria recognizes the role that Azores can play in this area.
Both the National and Regional governments are encouraging that Santa Maria becomes a strategic pole for space related activities.
I am not familiar with all the details but I know that some cooperation has been going on with THALES and other defence companies which are already active in Santa Maria.
A Portuguese consortium, the “Atlantic Spaceport Consortium”, has been certified and authorized to launch from Santa Maria rockets placing satellites into space and the first launching is scheduled to take place next year, 2026.
The first orbital flight is also tentatively scheduled for 2027.
I think that there is a wide scope for cooperation with our EU partners which we must promote.
I will be now at your disposal for any questions.
Pedro Catarino