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

I am extremely pleased to once again associate myself to this important event of the information, communication and new media technology industries.

The APDC Conferences are, recognizably, highly significant meetings, which contribute towards the development and the consolidation of one of the most dynamic sectors in the Portuguese economy.

I so state, not due to any circumstantial courtesy, but because, effectively, the weight of the information and communication technologies industry is already a determining factor in our economy. Your efforts, your work and your talent are addressed to a worldwide market and are not restricted to the domestic market, while the industry’s contribution for the increase in exports is already significant.

Many Portuguese, particularly those who are not familiar with information and communication technologies, may believe that it is still a not very expressive industry or that it is just residual in our economy. But the reality is much different and, in these times, more than in any others, it is important to clearly stress how important is the capital of hope that your industry brings to the Country.

This is the reason why I am here.

Since this is an industry comprised in designated “digital economy”, which incorporates relevant knowledge and technology, its large growth during consecutive years means that the Country has a critical mass – human resources, talent and creativity – to enable the development of new economic sectors and create productive bases, introducing greater dimension to the Portuguese economy.

Similarly to what, in the last two decades, the information and communication technologies industry has developed and became a decisive sector, many others may, in the next few years, equally achieve development and provide our economy with a different outlook than that which it presents today.

As President of the Republic, I share everybody’s concern for the crisis that Portugal is going through, as well as for the difficulties that, in many extreme cases, many families and companies are currently experiencing. But, for exactly this reason, we cannot abandon the project to change Portugal into a more developed society.

That is, ambition and a clear view of the future are today, more than ever, extremely important for Portugal.

The companies represented by APDC must constitute, by the example of the course they have treaded and by the ambition of their objectives, a source of inspiration for the Portuguese economy.

It is not by chance that Portugal disposes nowadays of communication and network infrastructures, including fibre optic communications, which are amongst the most developed in the World. The stake placed on new communication technologies was thus a winning stake and was based upon a long term vision, to which contributed the visionary spirit of Diogo Vasconcelos, who was well known to all in the industry.

As President of the Republic, I am grateful for your collective work in the construing of this industry. And I must congratulate APDC and its outgoing Chairman, Dr. Pedro Norton, for the drive and nonconformity he has shown.

Ladies an Gentlemen,

The nonconformity I have referred is well manifest in the theme of your Conference: “An Ocean of Opportunities”. Your industry thus reveals that there are sites to unearth and business opportunities that are ready to be exploited.

An industry such as that of information and communication technologies, which is transversal to the economy, cannot seal itself off. It must, indeed, search for new markets, Information and communication technologies benefit from new customers and these, in their turn, take advantage of such technologies to become modernized. It is here, in addition to the intrinsic value represented by the business turnover of the information and communication technologies that resides your industry’s great contribution: set up a modernization and innovation platform for the remaining sectors of the Portuguese economy.

Portugal requires a more intense liaison between different sectors of the economy, which are mostly unrelated, thus laying to waste synergies that, in more integrated economies, are one of the main strengths of innovation.

This point is more than ever important when Portugal remains a country characterized by economic realities that drive at differing speeds. We have innovative and highly technological industries, next door to industries with a very traditional nature, for which the contribution of information and communication technologies could be an accelerator of change.

APDC’s proactive attitude to meet other sectors of the Portuguese economy assumes increased relevance since the large majority of our industrial fabric is made up of micro, small or medium sized enterprises.

The economy of the sea, a sector which is also transversal to the national economy, and which is a specific objective of this Conference, will surely benefit much from the action of information and communication technologies.

In the exercise of the magistracy of influence that is comprised in the remit of the President of the Republic, I have endeavoured to contribute towards generating, in the Country, an ambition to construe a more sustainable and diversified model of economic development than has existed until now.

At a time when it is urgent to create wealth in the Country and to generate new bases of economic growth, we must look towards what we have forgotten in the past decades and overcome the stigmata that have removed us from the sea, from agriculture and even from industry, with a view to produce, with greater scope and volume, products and services that may be directed to external markets.

I have defended that Portugal must exploit new options of development, since our geography, our natural resources and the sea are, undoubtedly, one of such options.

You will thus not be surprised that I consider extremely adequate the theme you have chosen for this Conference.

I believe that the economy of the sea arises as a promising option for the Country’s development, due to the potential residing in the transport industry, in the nutrition and food industry, in the energy industry and also in areas connected with the new uses and resources of the sea, which include the industry of marine biotechnology and undersea technologies.

In addition to future potential manifestly contained therein, the economy of the sea, which still comprises amongst us a predominance of industries with a lower technological and innovating nature, much can be gained with the product of your industries. Further, since this is an area where small and medium sized enterprises predominate, it can very particularly and clearly benefit from the proactivity and vision of your sector.

In addition to its ability to accelerate the modernization of our economy of the sea, the information and communication technologies sector also provides an example of leadership and hope for the development of its different industries, as well, moreover, for other emerging industries in the national outlook. This is already the case in the seaport industry, mainly in the largest national seaports, which have greatly benefited from the innovation inserted in its proceedings and in its own business by information and communications technologies.

I am pleased to note that the information, communications and the new media technologies are attentive to the contribution they may bring to the effort of energizing and modernizing that the Country needs to turn the sea into a powerful productive base for its economy.

Thank you very much for your attention.