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Honourable Speaker of the Azores Parliament
Honourable President of the Regional Government
Members of Parliament
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is especially significant for me, as President of the Republic, to deliver a speech for the first time in this home of Azorean democracy.

I thank you, Mr. Speaker, for your welcoming words and warmly greet the Members of Parliament of the Azores Autonomous Region, legitimate representatives of the ambitions and wishes of the people of this archipelago.

As the prime movers of the political and administrative autonomy of the Azores, Members of Parliament are also the main guarantors of the autonomous system and its linkage with the sovereignty of the Republic.

Members of Parliament,

More than thirty years past the date when the Constitution of the Republic was instituted, Portugal has no «dispute over autonomy» or «legal wrangling over autonomy» worthy of that name. The existence of the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira does not raise any controversy among the Portuguese, and it can be said that there is full consensus as to the correctness of the option of the constituent legislator.

The constitutional consecration of autonomy, of a political autonomy and not just administrative is, truly, the solution which best serves the national interest. It allows for a harmonious synchronism between unity and diversity, which guarantees the recognition of the regional specificities, the respect for the integrity of the State’s sovereignty, and provides better benefits for national cohesion.

The autonomy of the insular regions is one of the more fruitful creations of Portuguese democracy.

As such, before we assess whether the dimension of the autonomy is already sufficient or if it still shows a deficit, we should feel deserving of praise for having known how to find a juridical constitutional solution which, throughout three decades, was the source for economic and social progress and ensured a sound conviviality among all Portuguese.

In effect, when we view instances of States where the fracture between unity and diversity is a real and even dramatic issue, we should, even if only briefly, salute those that, through the formula of a regional unitary State, were able to encounter a sound equilibrium between two structuring principles of the Portuguese Republic.

A word of recognition is thus due to the Members of Parliament who approved the Constitution, and for the knowledge they evinced in 1976. But it is also fair to emphasize the role of the officials responsible for the governmental institutions of the Regions who, primarily, always defended the enlargement of the autonomy without placing national unity at risk, and decisively contributed to the practical demonstration of the correctness of the chosen model.

The search for a balance between the State’s integrity and the autonomy of the Regions, and above all, the practical achievement of the main principles written into the Fundamental Law, were not always exempt from pressures. But these pressures are characteristic of the dynamics of regional autonomy and, within certain limits, conflict with the central powers is a proof that the autonomy is alive and wishes to assert itself and to adapt to the changes of the times.

Members of Parliament,

The President of the Republic is naturally not responsible for the design of the constitutional architecture of the system of autonomy. The range of powers attributed to the Autonomous Regions, whether in its original version, or in its subsequent revisions, is a matter in which the Parliament of the Republic is the sole competent authority. What may be stated in this assembly as an overall assessment of the issue, is that the regional government bodies have now at their disposal, especially after the recent changes to the Constitution, a vast number of attributes, competences and powers.

And it can equally be stated that the great challenges to be faced by the autonomies in the future will depend more on the chosen policies than on the formal consecration of new competences and new powers.

In effect, independently from the improvements which may come to be introduced in the future, now is the time to bring into effect the attributes that the Constitution confers on the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira, to develop on site the powers given to the regional governments and to deepen the solidarity between the different parcels of the Nation, in a spirit of fruitful dialogue between the regional bodies and the authorities of the Republic.

Members of Parliament,

I have very closely followed the political, economic and social process in the Azores. This is a natural duty of the President of the Republic whilst guarantor of the unity of the State. And the fact that the Representatives of the Republic for the Autonomous Regions are appointed by the President of the Republic and answer exclusively to him is an additional motive for the President to become closely acquainted with the insular realities and its concerns.

For this reason, I want to reiterate my confidence in the Representatives of the Republic for the Autonomous Regions, whom I greet from this podium, expecting that they will have at their disposal the necessary attributes to fully comply with the duties of representing the sovereignty of the Republic.

I equally wish to praise the will to conquer of the people of the Azores. Recently, on a visit to the United States, I contacted several Portuguese communities of the Diaspora, in which are included many people from the Azores. In all of them I encountered the same non-conformism, the same will to overcome difficulties and also, the same sense of bondage to the islands from which they departed.

This is the spirit of the people of the Azores, the spirit that was always their trait, from the humblest inhabitant of these islands to the great figures of national public life, such as Manuel de Arriaga or Teófilo Braga, or great names of our cultural environment, such as Antero de Quental, Vitorino Nemésio or Natália Correia.

I am as such totally confident that the people of the Azores will know how to take advantage of the opportunities offered them in the near future.

I am certain that, with the support features included in the National Strategic Reference Framework, the Azores will further impel the progress of economic and social development which has been annually recorded for some time, especially since our adhesion to the European Communities.

The European Union has shown that the principle of solidarity does not involve only the State and its insular regions; it must equally guide the relationship of all of Europe with its ultra-peripheral areas.

Members of Parliament,

Parliament is, essentially, the address of pluralism. The representatives of the people, who meet here, belong to several parties, adopt distinct ideological sensibilities, and have their own ideas concerning the future of this Autonomous Region. The probity of parliamentary work justly derives from the capability of fruitfully representing the multiplicity of opinions and trends existing in a society. And, as is obvious, the Azorean society does not differ from this rule. Diverging opinions co-exist here as to the government of the Region, with differing guidelines as to the future of the Azores.

This pluralism, and the richness deriving from it, constitutes a heritage that you, Members of Parliament, need to preserve. Diversity of opinions is a certificate of the maturity of the public life of the Region and of the civic perseverance of its peoples.

I am certain that the Members of this Parliament have the required sense of responsibility to ensure a sound relationship with the authorities of the Republic, and that these are endeavouring the development of a fruitful dialogue with the institutions of the Regional Government.

I am also certain that the pluralism reflected in these benches is an essential value, which will never be open to doubt. Thus my expectation that, linked with the central powers and through consensus as to the great insular objectives, it will be possible to acquire a balanced strengthening of the autonomy of the Azores and promote its progress.

Members of Parliament,

Visiting the Azores, I could not lose sight of the importance of the sea for this Region. The Azores have always constituted a fundamental support for navigation and for the first Atlantic commercial routes. It was in these islands that one of the more important bases of the Portuguese maritime expansion was sited, thus bringing out the historical singularity of the Azores and its natural role of a meeting point of the land with the sea.

For this reason, when carrying out in the Azores a campaign for the Route to Science, dedicated to Sciences and Technologies of the Sea, I wished to associate my visit to the concern for the oceans which I have expressed ever since the beginning of my mandate.

When being sworn in as President of the Republic, I stated: «It is time to give renewed attention to the sea. The vast maritime area under national jurisdiction, a natural bridge between Europe, Africa and America, has an economic potential and a strategic value which we cannot ignore. The sea, apart from its historical significance is, for Portugal, an enormous opportunity».

The Azores have been, throughout History, a unique example of the conviviality that the Portuguese established with the oceans. It is difficult to find a better place and a better occasion to recall this topic than this session of the Azorean Parliament.

The sea is a heritage that Portugal must preserve and know how to benefit from. It is very probably our most important future asset.

The people of the Azores, who for centuries have known how to exploit the potential inherent to the Atlantic, will certainly understand the sense of this my appeal. An appeal which is addressed to all Portuguese, but that I warmly endorse, today, to the inhabitants of a land which quite rightly had at one time been called the «Enchanting Islands».

Thank you very much.