President marks Europe Day saying EU “needs more courage” – Portugal Resident

President António José Seguro has marked ‘Europe Day’ today, reiterating his opposition to the rule of unanimity, warning that a Europe “which only moves when there is consensus, is a Europe that always arrives late”.

In a message published over social networks, Portugal’s head of state refers to the European Union as having been “born out of a desire to secure peace and progress on a continent ravaged by war.”. But, today it is at a “different, yet equally demanding, crossroads.

“The answer does not lie in retreating, fragmenting or giving up. It lies in moving forward with greater unity, greater ambition and greater political courage.

“The future belongs to those who act with determination. Not to those who react too late and are almost always playing catch-up.

“Instead of blocking minorities, we need ambitious majorities. Leaders who think of Europe beyond the immediate self-interest of the Member States they represent.

“Europe has moved forward with leaders who dared to think beyond the immediate. It is that spirit we need to recapture.

“To preserve peace, Europe must pursue four paths simultaneously: safeguarding democracy as the indispensable foundation of life in common; deepening political integration as a guarantee of solidarity among its peoples; building strategic autonomy as an expression of sovereignty in defence, competitiveness and energy. To realise all these ambitions, we need a more efficient and faster model of governance.

“The rule of unanimity in strategic areas worked in the last century, but it doesn’t work in the 21st century. The world isn’t waiting for us,” the president concludes.

His position, he explains, follows ideas discussed earlier this week when he visited Italy to commemorate the 50 years of the European University Institute in Florence.

Europe Day is celebrated on May 9, commemorating Robert Schuman’s 1950 declaration in which he laid out the founding principles of the European Union.

Portugal formally joined what was then the European Economic Community (EEC) on January 1, 1986, alongside Spain.

The treaty for Portugal’s accession to the EEC was signed on June 12, 1985 by Mário Soares, as well as by the Deputy Prime Minister of the PS/PSD Government, Rui Machete, and by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jaime Gama, and the Minister for Finance, Ernâni Lopes.

When the treaty came into force on January 1, 1986, the PSD government led by Aníbal Cavaco Silva was already in office, and would remain in power for ten years.

Source: LUSA