The Heads of EUNIC members are opening an office in Brussels to succead and continue the work of the current Presidency Support Team. The Office will have two full time posts: the Director and a Communications/Network administrator.
Message of the President of the Portuguese Republic addressed to The President of the United States of America
Lisbon, May 2nd 2011
Mr. President and dear Friend,
I would like to express my solidarity to Your Excellency in light of the American people feelings, in the aftermath of the success of the military operation which ended up with the death of Osama bin Laden, the self-proclaimed leader of a terrorist organization that boasts to have perpetrated some of the most heinous attacks in the History of humankind, foremost among them, September 11 2001, which killed thousands of defenseless men, women and children, including Portuguese citizens.
The abovementioned operation is the result of the persistent efforts of the United States of America, the American people, and in particular, Your Excellency’s Administration, in hunting down the perpetrators of those attacks and bear witness to the determination of all who believe in the creation of a new world order grounded on the principles of dialogue and tolerance among Peoples and cultures.
As you have underlined, the disappearance of the Al-Qaeda leader does not mean, however, neither the end of this organization, nor of terrorism, which will continue to demand the concerted efforts of the international community.
On behalf of the Portuguese people and on my own, I reiterate our solidarity in the fight against terrorism and the repudiation of all forms of extremism, and in the meantime, please accept my assurances of the highest consideration and personal esteem.
Anibal Cavaco Silva President of the Portuguese Republic
His Excellency Barack Obama President of The United States of America Washington DC
The Portuguese Government congratulates the U.S. government and President Obama for the success of the mission that resulted in Osama Bin Laden’s death, responsible for Al Qaeda and the attacks that on September 11, 2001 victimized thousands of people, including Portuguese citizens.
The success of this mission, culminating a lengthy operation of almost a decade, expresses the determination of the American people and their allies in the fight against terrorism and fanaticism that have caused so many innocent victims.
This is not a fight against Islam that has also been victim of cowardly attacks that so cruelly reap countless lives and force people to live in a climate of insecurity and terror, only contributing to the destabilization of the world.
Bin Laden’s death is not the end of Al Qaeda and terrorism so it is necessary to maintain the same spirit of cooperation and determination to defend our principles and values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
Nuno Brito New Ambassador of Portugal to the United States
Ambassador Nuno Brito presented today, Wednesday, February 23rd, to the President of the United States of America, the Letters of Credence accrediting him as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Portugal to the United States of America.
The ceremony was held at 3:45 PM, at the White House.
The incoming Ambassador of Portugal took the opportunity to address some kind remarks to President Barack Obama and reiterate the excellent Luso-American relations.
Meanwhile, he underscored the duties he was entrusted with toward deepening the bilateral relations in the fields of science, technology and energy.
The text of the Ambassador of Portugal reads as follows:
Mr. President,
I am honoured to present my credentials as Ambassador of the Portuguese Republic to the United States of America. I had the privilege to serve Portugal before both in Washington and in New York, experiences which impressed upon me a deep respect for the American people.
Portugal and the United States of America have a very solid alliance. Your recent meetings in Lisbon with the President of the Portuguese Republic, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, and Prime Minister José Sócrates confirmed the excellence of our bilateral relations. High level bilateral political contacts are vitally important to expand the cooperation between our countries in all fields.
I represent a country which is a founding member of NATO, a committed member of the European Union, as well as a member of the Community of the Portuguese-Speaking Countries and of the Iberian-American Community. Our countries have been working well together in the United Nations on the basis of shared values, principles and human rights that our countries respect and promote.
Portugal and the United States of America can do more bilaterally. We already have a very strong political, military and security cooperation, based upon the current Agreement on Cooperation and Defence. The brave troops of our countries have served together in several theatres of operations. I have instructions to look at what can be done in the fields of Science, Technology and Energy. I will also work hard to increase our trade and investment ties. We really need to be more ambitious about what we want to achieve together.
Mr. President,
More than 1.5 million Portuguese nationals and Luso-Americans live in your country. We are very proud of their achievements in the United States of America and we also want to continue working closely with them for the strengthening of our bilateral relations. I will also look for ways to improve the knowledge of the Portuguese language in the United States.
Portugal is a modern country with a very long history. It was the second country to recognize the independence of the United States of America. Our countries have been loyal to each other. Mr. President, You can count on Portugal to work for the mutual benefit of our nations.
PORTUGAL WITH THE GREATEST GROWTH IN THE FIELD OF INNOVATION IN THE EU
Sources of the European Commission announced today that Portugal shows the highest growth rate in the EU innovation ranking, leading the group of moderately innovative countries, and jumping one position in the general ranking of the 27 member states. This means that Portugal now is the 15th country according to results disclosed by the Innovation Union Scoreboard, in Brussels, following an assessment of all the 27 member states.
This improvement is a consequence of the implementation of the Technological Plan and positions Portugal with a growth rate above the European average reached during a time period of only five years.
Among the indicators, the EU study highlights “new Ph.D graduates for one thousand citizens between 25 and 34 years old”, the third highest in the study. In addition, small and medium size companies show good performance in both product innovation and in the processing, with the introduction of organizational innovation or in marketing.
Portugal is also well positioned to meet the criteria related to indicators growth rate, such as Funding of Investigation and Research, increase of population between 20 and 24 years old with at least secondary education, or innovative small and medium size companies in joint ventures.
Public spending in research and development, licensing of patents from abroad and marketing of new technology are also indicators taken into consideration.
The António Champalimaud Vision Award has the support of Vision 2020 – The Right To Sight, a global initiative for the prevention of blindness launched in association with the World Health Organisation and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. The award is given alternately between contributions to overall vision research (even numbered years) and contributions to the alleviation of visual problems, primarily in developing countries (odd numbered years). The recipients of the award are productive laboratories/organisations or collaborative efforts and this may involve groups from more than one institution or discipline.
The Award does not focus only on the largest global organisations but on organisations of any size that can demonstrate high impact achievements. These could be on a local, national, regional or international level.
The jury of the award consists of a distinguished panel of leading international scientists and of exceptional public figures involved in meeting the needs of the developing world.
The award may be used in any way that furthers the outstanding contribution of the recipients. In 2007, the inaugural year of the Antonio Champalimaud Vision Award, the focus was on contributions, primarily in developing countries, to the alleviation of visual problems. In 2008 the Award recognised ground-breaking discoveries that enhance our knowledge or understanding of vision. For the 2009 edition of the award the focus returned once again to the fight against blindness on the ground.
Nominations are now open for the 2011 António Champalimaud Vision Award, which will be presented for work taking place on the ground, primarily in developing countries, in the fight against blindness. The deadline for submission is December 31st 2010.
