Portugal and Spain sign new Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation
According to sources in the Spanish Prime Minister’s office, the signing of this agreement will be the highest point of the meeting between the members of the Governments of the two countries, led by António Costa and Pedro Sánchez.
The meeting takes place in the midst of a political crisis in Portugal that could end with a call for advance payments.
The annual meeting between the two countries of the Iberian Peninsula is scheduled to start with a welcome ceremony, at 12:00 (11:00 in Lisbon), in the Praça Maior de Trujillo, a city in the autonomous community of Extremadura which is about 150 km (by road) from the Portuguese border at Caia.
For the first time, the Luso-Spanish Summit will have a title or slogan, `For Sustainable Mobility`, which in some way will symbolize current issues, closely linked to sustainable mobility.
The works were published with a series of sectorial bilateral meetings, in which each minister meets with his counterpart from the other country, one of them being between the two heads of government, followed by a meeting between all the members of the two delegations.
The 32nd Luso-Spanish Summit ends with the adoption of a joint declaration, as in all meetings of this type, where it will welcome the signing of the new Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation and will also take care of all related issues with sustainable mobility.
The meeting is expected to end in mid-afternoon with a press conference by the two heads of government.
The new Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Portugal and Spain will update the previous agreement signed in 1977 with the aim of strengthening the bonds of friendship and solidarity between the two European countries that had not long ago reached freedom and democracy after long periods of dictatorship.
According to sources at the Palace of Moncloa (headquarters of the Spanish Government) it is about updating an agreement that is more than 40 years old, for the present time, including themes related to the challenges of globalization, such as gender equality, the fight against organized crime and international terrorism, among others.
At the moment, the two countries are two consolidated democracies, members of the European Union, and are going to commit to cooperate in matters pertaining to the European institutions, according to the same official sources.
Lisbon and Madrid will also agree on an action plan for the joint development of projects within the scope of the recovery and resilience plans of the two countries, trying to leverage the many millions of euros that will receive the next few years from the previous coffers.
Some projects are in the area of sustainable mobility, digitization and the ecological transition between the two countries. Themes in which community institutions favor joint projects or projects of a motivational nature.
Several other agreements will also be signed: two on Fishing and Hunting on the international section of the River Minho (north of Portugal, border with Galicia); the status of the skilled worker; a memo on archives; and one on cooperation in the field of road infrastructure.
Finally, a memorandum of understanding will be signed on the restoration and maintenance of the international bridge over the river Minho, which also provides for the production of additional routes for the circulation of bicycles and people.
After the end of the Summit, the two prime ministers will debate with around 40 university students – mostly law students interested in European affairs – themes that are being discussed at the Conference on the Future of Europe.