Welcome to the Official page of the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic

President of the Portuguese Assembly
Presidents and Secretary-Generals of the EU National Parliaments
Ladies and Gentlemen

Allow me just a few words to welcome you all. It is a great pleasure and honour to receive you in Portugal.

This magnificent room is the very same room where I had the pleasure to host a luncheon, some months ago, during the Portuguese Presidency, in honour of the Heads of State and Government who had just signed the Treaty that carries the name of our capital.

The Lisbon Treaty is the result of a compromise between 27 States. All Member States were convinced that it was the best possible answer to the problems that affect the day to day life of our citizens.

We have to respect the will of the Irish people. But we also have to make clear that Europe cannot pay the price of going back to square one. The Lisbon Treaty is more needed than ever.

I trust that we will be able to find a solution as we did in the past.

I was Prime-Minister at the time of the NO in Denmark. And it was during the Portuguese Presidency, in June 92, so I was directly involved in the search for a solution that could be accepted by all member states. And it was possible, six months later, in Edinburgh, to find a solution. And there was another referendum in Denmark, and the Maastricht Treaty was implemented.

I am convinced now that the current clouds over the Treaty won’t last for long.

One of the most important advances of the Lisbon Treaty is the importance it gives to the initiative of citizens, to the role of National Parliaments in the decision-making process, in the cooperation between National Parliaments and the European Parliament. In this sense, your meeting in Lisbon anticipates the spirit of the Treaty of Lisbon.

In this challenging times I want to reiterate my confidence in the European integration process that brought so much to our continent and to our citizens.

I ask you all to join me in a toast to the success of your meeting and to the future of our Union, that is the European Union.