Florence, Italy, May 7, 2026 (Lusa) - The president of Portugal, António José Seguro, is set to deliver a speech on Thursday morning at the European University Institute in Florence, followed by a meeting with Sergio Mattarella, the president of Italy, in Rome on Thursday afternoon.
The Portuguese head of state will be the keynote speaker at a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the European University Institute. His speech is scheduled for 11.30 a.m. local time (10.30 a.m. in Lisbon).
At the same ceremony, the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, the Council of Europe president, and former Portuguese prime minister, António Costa, will speak on separate panels.
Following the ceremony, António José Seguro will travel by train from Florence to Rome for a meeting with his Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarella, scheduled for 4.30 p.m. at the Quirinal Palace.
This is his second trip abroad as the president of Portugal, following his official visit to Spain on 19–20 April, during which he met with King Felipe VI and the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, in Madrid.
Seguro, who served as an MP for the PS (Socialist Party) between 1999 and 2001 and describes himself as a “staunch Europeanist”, has been advocating for the strengthening of the European Union’s strategic autonomy in sectors such as defence and energy.
Last week, at the closing of the La Toja – Atlantic Link Forum in Lisbon, he reiterated this message and called for the political deepening of the European Union through institutional reforms that include the end of the unanimity rule in certain areas.
On “European defence”, he said that “it cannot continue to be a slow process, based solely on coalitions of the willing”.
He considered that there is a need for “a Europe capable of making decisions, of speaking with a credible voice in foreign policy, of mobilising resources commensurate with the challenges it faces”, saying that this requires institutional reforms that have long been postponed.
He also argued that the European Union cannot be governed with 20th-century tools, saying it “needs a solid, efficient and adequately resourced institutional framework that incorporates other democracies, such as the United Kingdom and Norway”.
On relations with the US, he said that this should be “a partnership between equals, in which Europe asserts its interests and uses its weight without relinquishing its values”, even when this leads to “tensions with Washington”.
On the other hand, Seguro highlighted “the recent rapprochement between Canada and Europe”, describing it as an opportunity not to be missed.
“Canada shares with Europe liberal and democratic values, and a vision of multilateralism, international law and cooperation that makes it a natural partner,” he said.
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