An Excellent Example
António Rebelo de Sousa
Architecture: what has changed in 20 years
João de Sousa Rodolfo
A winning Union
José Manuel Fernandes
Portuguese MEP, Professor and Politician
The European Union (EU) must be a leader and a beacon. It will always have to be ambitious and, for this reason too, imperfect. It must always be under construction and in tension, particularly between defence and sharing of sovereignty.
The lessons of the last decades are immense and intense: from the terrorism following the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York and migrations, to the economic and social impact of the financial crises and the need for a new external financial aid to Portugal – which led to the arrival of the so-called Troika –, to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which we are still facing.
These crises are joined by the populism and radicalism spreading in Europe, which fostered Brexit and potential new exits, set against the claims of third countries whose willingness to join has been held back by EU member states.
The challenges we face today are huge: globalisation, climate change, migration, lack of natural resources, demography, security and energy supply. We will only meet these challenges if we act in coordination and share a spirit of solidarity and responsibility. The pandemic has shown once again that «alone and proud of it» is not a solution.
Indeed, we need a more social, more competitive and more cohesive EU, with a larger budget and enhanced tax harmonisation. We must pool the difficulties and the benefits of the European project. We must continue to promote peace and security, ensuring an open, free, prosperous, sustainable, cohesive and united EU.
As a peripheral country, «surrounded» by the sea and by Spain, Portugal also has the most to gain from sharing. We need energy union, digital union and railway connections. Interconnections and interoperability are fundamental in these areas.
Portugal has to know what it wants, increase wealth production, enjoy greater equality and must reduce its excessive dependence on European funds. These resources should add value, be additional and never replace the state budget.
The lessons of the last decades are immense and intense: from the terrorism following the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York and migrations, to the economic and social impact of the financial crises and the need for a new external financial aid to Portugal – which led to the arrival of the so-called Troika –, to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which we are still facing.
These crises are joined by the populism and radicalism spreading in Europe, which fostered Brexit and potential new exits, set against the claims of third countries whose willingness to join has been held back by EU member states.
The challenges we face today are huge: globalisation, climate change, migration, lack of natural resources, demography, security and energy supply. We will only meet these challenges if we act in coordination and share a spirit of solidarity and responsibility. The pandemic has shown once again that «alone and proud of it» is not a solution.
Indeed, we need a more social, more competitive and more cohesive EU, with a larger budget and enhanced tax harmonisation. We must pool the difficulties and the benefits of the European project. We must continue to promote peace and security, ensuring an open, free, prosperous, sustainable, cohesive and united EU.
As a peripheral country, «surrounded» by the sea and by Spain, Portugal also has the most to gain from sharing. We need energy union, digital union and railway connections. Interconnections and interoperability are fundamental in these areas.
Portugal has to know what it wants, increase wealth production, enjoy greater equality and must reduce its excessive dependence on European funds. These resources should add value, be additional and never replace the state budget.
