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Today we celebrate the National Day of Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese Communities.

Since I took office as President of the Republic, this is the first time that these celebrations take place in a district capital in the interior of the Country.

The choice of Castelo Branco as the host city for these celebrations was the result of a well thought out option.

Throughout my mandate I have tried to call the attention of the Portuguese and of the political decision makers to the great national issues, about which a wide consensus must exist.

In addition to what may divide us as free citizens of a free Republic, main issues exist that, due to their special incidence in our collective future, must merit a joint reflection, without ideological, political, partisan or any other prejudice.

Portugal is more than the life of the political parties or the noise of the media.

I consider that one of the main duties of the President of the Republic consists, precisely, in viewing further ahead than the day-to-day policies.

The President of the Republic has to listen to the people and be the ombudsman of their needs and their anxieties.

The President must endeavour to place on the agenda of national debate the high level topics that, at times, are forgotten or underestimated. He must point out guiding lines and paths to the future that contribute towards public policies and bring back to the Portuguese the hope for a joint building of better times.

In all the celebrations of the National Day of Portugal at which I have presided, I have tried to emphasize the issues that we face, but also the immense possibilities that the Country has available, and that are often unheeded by politicians, economists or the media.

Portuguese,

By choosing Castelo Branco as the stage for these 10 June celebrations I intend to bring the interior of the Country to the fulcrum of the national agenda, calling attention to the issue of inequalities in territorial development and to the problems of interiority, ageing and decolonization of a vast portion of our territory.

It is well known that this structural trend that has not appeared just in the last decades.

Nature’s adversities, to which is historically associated the disparagement of the public powers for the reality of the interior, obliged complete generations to leave their lands, at times going abroad, others concentrating in the larger coastal cities that grew immeasurably and, what is more, without adequate planning.

Akin to decolonization, issues appeared related with ageing and with migratory flows, but equally economic and social issues, such as the weakening of family ties, unemployment and the erosion of wealth created with much work and many other sacrifices.

Portugal thus became an unbalanced country, a two-speed territory regarding the distribution of its population, but also regarding the valuing of its assets and the integral harnessing of its resources.

The interior, possessing large potential, specifically in agriculture and tourism, was not made use of due to a very simple reason: it lost the required human capital.

Abandoned forests and pine woods, which every year nourish summer fires, are one of the most visible signs of that reality.

The establishment of the democratic regime and the consolidation of the local authorities have provided an essential contribution to limit the more negative effects of this state of affairs.

The adhesion to the European Communities and an active management of community funds allowed several unbalances to be corrected, to guarantee accessibilities and to provide the interior with fundamental infrastructure.

However, the decolonization phenomenon continues worsening. Internal population migrations continue now, not just headed towards the coastal cities, but also to cities in the interior, which have grown in volume and in size.

In many villages only the aged remain, so often left to their own devices and to oblivion.

Many fields were abandoned, old traditions and arts lost, together with authentic handicraft, ancient knowledge and flavours.

In lands previously settled with people of all age groups, children have not been born for several years.

Those who stay, who keep connected to their origins, that resist the austerity of the countryside, do not always avail themselves of the same opportunities of those that decided to leave, do not have the same access to public services of health and education, do not have employment possibilities identical to those who opted for other places.

Regional asymmetries are also social asymmetries, insofar as what they imply in inequality of opportunities amongst the citizens of our country.

In a Republic that proclaims itself as social and inclusive, we cannot accept that citizens suffer inequality and exclusion only because they live in different parts of the territory.

Social justice is equally territorial justice.

And, if the sense of justice and solidarity should not be enough, it would be important to recall that the economic development of any country depends upon the preservation of elementary standards of equity. That is, the quality of life of the inhabitants of the interior depends upon the promotion of these principles of social and territorial balance, but also from the inherent perspectives of welfare and growth of the whole of Portugal.

The exodus from the interior is a legitimate and natural phenomenon. It is understandable that citizens search for themselves and their offspring better living conditions and, in a free country, nobody can be made to live in any place or location.
It is, as I referred, a structural phenomenon, which is not new, and that has taken on proportions that are difficult to reverse. It would be utopian to suppose that, due a mere willingness of the public powers, we could attain the massive return of the population to the Country’s interior. We have to be realists, since illusions are dearly paid.

With realism, we must also understand that the progressive decolonization of the interior, in addition to creating unfair situations, causes us to lose potential and assets that, especially in the Country’s current situation, must not be laid to waste.

To rediscover the value of the interior and of the rural areas is an imperative for the Portuguese as a nation, and which we must emphasize on this day, a day of cohesion and unity.

Today, the 10th of June, we do not belong in any factions or groups. On this day we have a sole characteristic, we are Portuguese. This is a day of one sole belonging, ours, which is Portugal.

We must be aware that the interior of the Country is a part of our collective identity as a sovereign nation with a History of many centuries.

Portuguese,

The development of the interior is, today, one of the greatest national issues. If we read through the pages of the fascinating book “Portugal, The Flavour of Land”, written by historian José Mattoso and by geographer Susanne Daveau, we will be able to find the bitterness of the expressions that characterize the province of Internal Beira. They refer to a territory that is “asleep”, featured by “isolationism”.

These are hard words, maybe excessively severe. We can recognize that the geographic countenance of this region is somewhat contrary to the settlement of populations and for their development.

But human presence, here, is a sign of tenacity and strength, qualities that were rarely cherished by the public powers.

The time has come for a change in attitude, to develop a clear strategy for revaluing the interior of the Country, encouraging and supporting the indomitable spirit of those who live and work here.

We must, however, avoid two courses.

One, the most tempting, would consist in trying to replicate the Country’s littoral. This is not the correct option: the interior has its own identity and this is its distinctive and original feature.

As such, rather than trying to be a replica of the littoral, the interior must be proud of its identity, discover its specific vocation, that which results from the harmonious interaction between Man and his environment.

Geography cannot be changed, but it can be provided with value. Interiority is imposed as a condition that is somewhat difficult to be called upon, in which the inhabitants of these lands must be able to learn to live with and must know how to enjoy, since it is the differentiating mark of the place they inhabit.

Another wrong option and, what is more, unrealistic, would consist in believing that we could return to a past that is already extinct.

We must preserve tradition and maintain the traces of memory, safeguard the tangible and intangible heritage that has been left us. But it is utopian to believe that the development of a region and the welfare of its population can be based upon the nostalgia of an era that will not return.

It is imperative, in the interior, to take advantage of the potential and of the wealth that solely exist here.

The main role in the valuing of these assets belongs to the local authorities, to the local companies and entrepreneurs. It is them, rather than anyone else, that are aware of the existing resources, of the relative advantages available and of the economic and social reality that surrounds them.

This responsibility of local agents is particularly enhanced in the current environment, in the face of rising unemployment and the risks of poverty and social exclusion.

Local authorities, once the stage of construction of equipment and infrastructure is over, are now called upon to perform the duties of the economic valuation of their regions and their resources.

Local authorities have, furthermore, a natural proximity to the real issues and needs of the people. A proximity policy is the ideal key to win the distancing of interiority.

The local authorities of the interior, whom I greet in this ceremony, are thus called upon to perform an irreplaceable role.

I am pleased to know that, in their large majority, local authorities have already understood that it is in the incentive to sustainable economic development and in the social support to the needier that the priority of their efforts must now be placed.

The challenge of the strengthening of the interior’s productive capacity is not an easy task.

Thus a special incentive of public policies in favour of the companies that settle here and create wealth is fully justified.

Local authorities have a fundamental role in the provision of support to the competitive small and medium sized enterprises and in the development of innovatory initiatives and entrepreneurial spirit at the local level.

Special regard must be given to the rural world. No one can believe that Portugal can be a self sufficient country as far as agro-food is concerned. It has anyway never been so throughout its whole History.

In the midst of the European Union and within the framework of a global economy, the idea of self sufficiency in food creates the risk of losing sight of the essential: specializing ourselves in the production of exportable goods, or goods which, due to their specificity, may succeed in competitive markets, in which consumers are extremely demanding with reference to the quality and diversity of supply.

We thus have to produce more and better, but above all to produce differently, taking advantage of the favourable conditions of our climate.

We must invest in what differentiates us from our partners.

Portugal imports today approximately 6 billion euros of agricultural produce for consumption, and our exports barely reach 3 billion euros.

A foodstuff deficit of this size has no reason to exist in a country such as ours. This difficult situation must cease to exist. We have to develop a programme of agricultural resettlement in the interior, creating opportunities of success for young farers.

In the context of an integrated rural economy, forestry performs an essential role as a local source of development. We have enormous potential in this field which we must learn how to exploit better, more systematically and marshalled through a sustainable management of forestry resources.

Portuguese,

The interior is connected to the remainder of the country by a number of accessibilities that, in general, are sufficient. Notions of periphery and distance have been becoming senseless in a territory that has a relatively reduced size, with less than two hundred kilometres separating the littoral from the interior.

It is possible to transform the medium sized cities of the interior into centres of regional development. For the purpose, medium sized cities have to act through a network, and work jointly, instead of crystallizing and cultivating ancestral rivalries.

The interaction of medium sized cities, which must have the cooperation of the central powers, will have to be doubly guided.

Vertically, by exploiting the axis that runs along the border and that brings benefits from its proximity to the neighbouring country. In a horizontal perspective medium sized cities may easily project themselves in the littoral and place their supplies there, either for internal demand or for export.

It is important, however, not to repeat mistakes committed in other parts of the Country. The interior has to become an area where tradition, Nature and the human presence huddle together harmoniously and with the correct balance.

In this way, medium sized cities can assert themselves as areas with quality of living, equipped with infrastructures and with a proximity to the natural environment that does not exist in other areas of the territory.

In parallel to this, the creation of support networks for quality tourism must be promoted, with initiatives such as the Historical Villages and the Shale Villages deserving to be enhanced.

The promotion of natural conditions, the cultural and historical heritage, gastronomy and traditional products are key components to energize new tourism features that search, in each region, for what it has specifically to offer.

The fact that the interior of the Country has not been affected by mass tourism and by inordinate planning is an asset that local authorities and entrepreneurs must know how to benefit from.

The main potential of the interior lies, however, in the spirit that characterizes its population, the peoples of this land. The indomitable grip and the strength of will of the Portuguese in the interior must serve as an inspiring example to us all. Their frugality and spirit of sacrifice are models that we must follow at a time when the mettle and the determination of the Portuguese are being placed under proof. We cannot fail. The costs would be impossible to bear. We have assumed external commitments and we are prideful to honour the promises made.

It is from this mettle that our pride is made of.

We have not allowed ourselves to be defeated by geography. On the contrary, we have known how to use it to our advantage, changing what at source was a disadvantage – the fact that we are in the periphery of Europe - into an advantage that opened to us the gates of the Atlantic. In an admirable page, Master Orlando Ribeiro wrote:

«The destiny of a territory is contained in its position: insulated in the periphery of the ancient world, on a strip of land mostly wild and thankless, the Portuguese was given the role of pioneer in the modern world. He did not limit himself however to show the way: taking it on, he left marks of his presence inscribed in the lands of the four continents».

This is how Orlando Ribeiro ends his book – «Portugal, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic» -. We really knew how to bring the periphery to the path of the future.

Here, in Castelo Branco, we can fetch from the example of the Portuguese of the interior the inspiration we need to, once more, change weaknesses into strengths and transform adversities into opportunities.

Between the dryness of stones and the greenery of the pine woods, the interior of the Country can be a metaphor for the whole of Portugal.

It is the whole of Portugal that must rise in this decisive hour. A time for sacrifices, of great responsibilities.

We cannot fail.

It is at these times that the soul of a country can be seen.

Thank you