CENTRO DE ESTUDOS ESTRATÉGICOS DO ATLÂNTICO

A New Pact for Brazil and Portugal - Luís Alexandre Carta Winter

From November 4th to 7th, 2014, we had the privilege to participate in Cascais, Portugal, in discussions about strategies for the South Atlantic Ocean and on the extension of the Portuguese Continental Shelf. This little essay has as its unique purpose to externalize a personal position about the first of those themes. 

Brazil has 23,102 km of border, including 7,367 km of ocean and 15,735m of land. The islands of Trindade and Martins Vaz, the eastern end of Brazil are located 1,167 km from the Brazilian coast and 2,400 miles from the African coast. The empty geographical space beyond our maritime frontier is significant.

The increase of the continental platform to 350 nautical miles is important, but it is just one of our many questions, since there are no threats nor disputes regarding Brazilian maritime geographical space.

Portugal‘s idea to transform the South Atlantic into a mainly Lusophone space is meritorious, but it faces some economic, political and implementation challenges.

The expenses and means of implementation are issues of an economic order. But the political issue, in my view, demands a broader analysis of the nature of the proposal. What does the Portuguese proposal represents in the present context? Is it an alliance proposal? And would this imply a change of the Portuguese optics? 

To discuss the South Atlantic is mainly to discuss a South-South relationship. It may seem paradoxical to discuss it with Portugal, though, since Portugal is in Europe and therefore in the northern hemisphere. Portugal has joined Europe in the EU and in our view, happens to be European, and therefore part of the North.

On the other hand, our relationship with Portugal was always precious, so much so that in our Constitution, in article 12, II, § 1, there is a unique treatment provided especially to the Portuguese: 

Art. 12. Are Brazilians:

II-naturalized: 

a)those, in accordance with the law, who acquired the Brazilian nationality, and originated from Portuguese-speaking countries only require residence for one year uninterrupted and moral probity;

b)foreigners of any nationality, residing in the Federative Republic of Brazil for more than fifteen years uninterrupted, and without criminal conviction, since acquiring the Brazilian nationality. (Wording by constitutional amendment nº 3, review of 1994).

§1 the Portuguese people with permanent residence in the country, if there is reciprocity in favor of Brazilians, will be assigned the rights inherent to the Brazilian, except in the cases provided for in this Constitution. (Wording by constitutional amendment nº 3, review of 1994.

In 2000, Brazil and Portugal signed the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Consultation which replaced several treaties previously signed between the two, such as the Agreement Between the United States of Brazil and Portugal for the abolition of visas in Diplomatic and Special Passports, celebrated in Lisbon, on October 15th, 1951, by Exchange of notes; the Treaty of Friendship and Consultation between Brazil and Portugal, signed in Rio de Janeiro, on November 16th, 1953; the agreement on Visas in Ordinary Passports between Brazil and Portugal, concluded in Lisbon, by Exchange of notes, on August 9th, 1960; the Cultural Agreement between Brazil and Portugal, signed in Lisbon, on September 7th, 1966; the Additional Protocol to the agreement, signed on September 7th, 1966; and the Cultural Agreement, celebrated in Lisbon, on April 22th, 1971; the Convention on Equality of Rights and Duties between Brazilians and Portuguese people, signed in Brasília, on September 7th, 1971; the agreement, by Exchange of notes, between Brazil and Portugal, for the abolition of payment of the fee of residence by each country‘s nationals residing on the territory of the other, signed in Brasilia, on July 17th, 1979; the Framework Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Government of the Portuguese Republic, signed in Brasilia, on May, 7th, 1991; and the agreement between the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Government of the Portuguese Republic concerning the Exemption of visas concluded in Brasilia, on April, 15th, 1966. And this just in the last sixty-three years! That being said, there is a whole history of ties that bind the two countries.

The Treaty of Friendship, of 2000, poses as its goal and purposes, among others, the strengthening of bonds between the two people, aiming to ensure the peace and progress in international relations, in the light of the objectives and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter.

Although stated in this Treaty, among its fundamentals, Brazilian and Portuguese`s participation in regional integration processes - such as the European Union and MERCOSUL – seeking an approximation between Europe and Latin America for the intensification of its relations, the entry of Portugal into the EU changes this relation both under our, and the Portuguese, perspectives. Portugal has to follow European rules. It is useless to claim that Portugal can open doors for us in the EU: we don’t need Portugal for that!

We have 204 million inhabitants. We are a large Country, a Continental Country. Europe, with the European Russian 3,960,000 km2 makes a total area of 10,180,000 km2. We, alone, are 8,519,000 km2. In other words, we are bigger than Europe, excluding Russia.

But our history began when the Portuguese landed here. We have an umbilical relationship!

Thus, we shall return to the initial question. It is possible to have a Lusophone relationship in the South Atlantic with a European Portugal?

By way of comparison: England may be in the geographical area of Europe, but its relations with the US are, today, stronger than its relationship with the EU.

In 2015, we will be celebrating the two hundred years of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarve which made, for a brief time, the South Atlantic become a Lusitanian lake.

Although we are independent now, that is the relationship we aim to have with Portugal: an alliance, more than mere cooperation. Then we can start to work more deeply with the idea of a Lusophone South Atlantic, even based in the Treaty of Friendship, looking forward to the consolidation of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), in which Brazil and Portugal are integrated, making CPLP a key tool in the pursuit of shared interests such as the economic, social and cultural development based on the respect of fundamental rights and freedoms as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and also relying on the principle of democratic organization of Society and the State, in pursuit of greater and wider social justice.