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I was very pleased to return to Elvas to preside at the inaugural act of the refurbishment work carried out in the Graça Fortress.

In 2013, at the time of the celebrations of the National Day of Portugal, I stressed the relevance for the County on the recognition of Elvas and its fortifications as World Heritage.

I then had the opportunity to extol the effort, the planning and the joint effort of those responsible for the candidacy, and to render tribute to those that, in the last few decades, had contributed towards the preservation and the safeguard of our historical and cultural heritage. Slightly more than two years later I am doubly gratified. Indeed, the conservation and restoration intervention, meanwhile carried out in the Graça Fortress, not only regenerated in the building the loftiness and grandness of its original design, but was also totally aligned with the intended deadline and budgets.

I thus compliment, for these reasons, all the entities concerned with this exemplary undertaking. We are viewing an instance of determination and strictness, perseverance and transparency, which is deserving of special recognition and which will certainly contribute towards the requalification of the city of Elvas and this region of the Alentejo province.

With the refurbishment of the Graça Fortress, a notable example is open to the public of European military architecture and one of the more typical monuments of the set which, three years ago, was recorded by UNESCO in the prestigious Listing of World Heritage. From today onwards, both the people of Elvas as well as national and foreign tourists will be able to enjoy a number of areas which had, for centuries, a relevant role in the defence of national territory and which are now exhibited as if in a museum, a heritage open to all who wish to visit. Honourable Mayor,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

These walls contain not only pages of our History but also of the history of Europe. Few monuments, throughout our Country, will be as linked to the will of the Portuguese to remain independent and to assert themselves as a people, with an autonomous and respected voice in the concurrence of nations.

The frontier which we view from this Fortress, the “Raia” which indelibly marked the people that resisted here, throughout the centuries, has now become a field of borderless cooperation, of development and common pathways. At a time when, facing the pressure of migratory flows and new threats, we once again listen to frontiers being talked over, we must recall the conquest that was represented by the entering into an “area of Freedom, Security and Justice” inside the European Union. The freedom of peoples’ movement established in the Schengen agreement, which Portugal joined in 1991, is a structural component of the European project and we must be unwavering in its defence. It is nowadays part of the way of life in the European Union, stressing an era of peace and unprecedented living conditions in the history of our Continent.

The answer to these new threats, such as transnational terrorism, does not stand anymore on the building of imposing fortresses or even walls. It stands on concerted action, on the strengthening of cooperation in the fields of Defence, of Security and of Justice, in order to achieve the common objective of a tolerant and humanistic society, where each one of us may live in safety and mutual respect.

Such values, which are the label of the European project, cannot be placed in question. Above all they must be jointly emphasized, defended and proclaimed by all the European nations, cognizant that Union brings strength.

Honourable Mayor,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

The people of Elvas have reasons to be proud of this impressive monument, which comprises its past, overrides its scenery and decisively marks an identity which was consolidated throughout the years. I am certain that all the Portuguese are in keeping with the exemplary drive that the People of Elvas, following the UNESCO recommendations for the conservation and reuse of the Graça Fortress and with the fundamental support of European funds, recovered this area and endowed it with modern equipment, educational means and cultural life, accessible to all visitors. I am pleased to view that, mostly all over the Country, the preservation of the historical and natural heritage has become a better than ever understood and valued standard.

At issue, more than any other, is the defence of the values we inherited and which are the evidence of our History, values which we are duty bound to legate to the coming generations, as a sign of being part of a community that has kept cohesive for almost nine centuries and so wishes to continue.

The relevance of the natural and cultural heritage is not just symbolic. In a world which has become globalized and in which all innovations tend to swiftly become a commonplace, that which a country possesses as unique is an ever scarcer asset and, for this reason, of greater value.

Portugal has climacteric and environmentally exceptional conditions, which were during decades most of the reasons for attracting tourism. It has, additionally, an exceptional means of roadway networks, from North to South and from East to West. We now have to safeguard and invest in what, in each region and each location may become, due to quality and uniqueness, a motive of interest for tourists which, year upon year, are becoming more demanding and enlightened. The stake that Elvas is placing on the refurbishment of its historical heritage is, equally in this perspective, an example that brings pride to us all. We hope that it can be followed by other municipalities. I thus renew my sincere congratulations to the Elvas County Council and to all those that provided their driven contribution, towards the success of the UNESCO candidacy, and for the architectural intervention carried out in this veritable jewel of Portuguese military architecture that is the Graça Fortress. Thank you very much.