Portugal must increase investments in Defence, says minister

Portugal risks to lose a say on European foreign policy if it does not increase its defence expenditures, the minister of Defence warned yesterday in Lisbon during a conference on the “The Treaty of Lisbon and the Future of European Integration”.

Speaking on the day of the 58th anniversary of the Shuman declaration – the embryo of the European Union Severiano Teixeira said the Treaty of Lisbon has made the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFCP) the new driving force of the UE and said that Portugal must assume its responsibilities to stay on the lead of the European platoon.

“There is a choice to be made”, the minister said. “If Portugal is to be in the frontline of the European integration process, we must recognize that, once the period of budget consolidation is over, we need to increase our Defence budget up to the levels of our partners and allies”.

“We must assure we have the conditions and the necessary equipments to take part in the more and more demanding missions abroad in order to remain as participants in the core group of European decision-making process”, he added.

The Treaty of Lisbon, the substitute of the Euroepan Constitution project, is now under process of ratification and is said to reform the Union to function with 27 countries.

However, critics have been arguing the new agreement will call off member states’ foreign policies and will create a European army under the command of the most powerful countries.

Severiano Teixeira defended that the new military cooperation mechanisms don’t take the power away from the smaller states like Portugal but call for the “member states to clarify their political commitment to build a Europe of Defence”.

The minister also avoided to speak about an European army but admitted the new treaty will “put defence means and capacities in commom and will promote a new culture of strategic sharing, in opposition, to national autonomy”.

At the present, the UE has deployed troops in Chad, Lebanon, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The new treaty is said to provide the Union the mechanisms to strengthen its military status and presence in the world and balance American military supremacy.

That is the opinion of the former European commissioner for Defence, António Vitorino. who said that “the Americans shall not veil for the western security alone”.

The socialist commentator added: “The time is over for us to choose between butter and cannon. It is necessary that people become aware of how important it is to spend money in defence”

The minister of Defence agreed with Vitorino but remarked Europe shall “complement, not rival and compete” against Nato or the United States.

Severiano Texeira argued cooperation with Nato is the best way to protect Europe from the new menaces of terrorism and natural disasters.

Hugo Coelho

Journalist