The President of the Republic addressed a message of condolences to the Family of Professor Ernâni Lopes:

Following is the text of the message of President Aníbal Cavaco Silva:

“Upon being advised of the decease of Professor Ernâni Lopes, I wish to express to the bereaved Family, on behalf of the Portuguese and in my own personal name, our feelings of deepest grief.

Ernâni Rodrigues Lopes was one of the foremost economists of his generation, who stood out due to a deep sense of duty and by fully dedicating himself to the causes in which he believed.

A man of faith and of principles, with an exemplary civic and moral rigour, he was a member of government in difficult times and one of the task masters of our integration in the European communities.

With an admirable patriotism, he always battled for Portugal to become a more developed and fairer country, and was one of the first to understand the strategic value of the oceans for the future of the Country.

In his last years he embraced this cause with the strength and tenacity that always characterized his presence in Portuguese public life.

The Country has lost a voice that we became used to listen with much regard, due to his competence and to his independence. His example will last in the memory of all who had the privilege of knowing him and of admiring his qualities as an academic and as a member of government but, above all, as a man of convictions and of total integrity.

Aníbal Cavaco Silva”