Paris, Feb. 25, 2025 (Lusa) - French President Emmanuel Macron will be in Lisbon and Porto between 27 and 28 February to sign a series of bilateral political, economic and cultural agreements between Portugal and France, the French Presidency announced on Tuesday.
"In terms of content, one of the results of this visit, precisely to deepen human, economic and cultural relations between France and Portugal, will be the signing of a friendship and cooperation agreement between France and Portugal," said an adviser to the Elysée in an audio conference with the media.
On his first day in Lisbon, Macron will pay homage to the Portuguese poet Luís de Camões and then meet the president of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and the prime minister, Luís Montenegro, with whom he will discuss issues that "concern Europe in terms of security and defence", namely the acceleration of competitiveness and investment.
The French head of state won't give a speech to the parliament as previously planned, but there will be a formal session and an exchange of views with the speaker of parliament, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, and the various leaders of Portuguese political groups.
As the second edition of the United Nations Ocean Conference took place in Lisbon in 2022 and the third edition will be held between 9 and 13 June in Nice, there will be a transfer of power between the two countries, focusing on the adoption of a joint declaration on cooperation in the oceans and the Atlantic zone.
"It will be an occasion to mark our points of view on cooperation in the oceans, on the ratification of the High Seas Treaty, on cooperation in the Atlantic zone, and also on common priorities linked to the protection of the oceans, biodiversity, energy and renewable energies linked to the oceans," added the Elysée.
In addition, there will be a dialogue between Macron and the Mayor of Lisbon and former European Commissioner for Research and Innovation, Carlos Moedas, in the Beato Innovation District, one of Europe's largest innovation and entrepreneurship centres, with the participation of Franco-Portuguese technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) players, such as Station F (a French start-up centre), following the Action Summit on AI in Paris at the beginning of the month.
On the second day, when the French head of state travels to Porto to meet the prime minister, Luís Montenegro, around a dozen bilateral agreements are expected to be signed, including "a friendship agreement, a Franco-Portuguese cooperation agreement and a letter of intent in the field of armaments", the source said.
As for the arms cooperation letter in the context of the Ukraine conflict, it is part of the "strengthening of the European industrial base" and aims to "confirm an intention and an agreement already announced for the acquisition of up to 36 Caesar [artillery systems] by the Portuguese" and also to "formalise cooperation in other industrial sub-cooperations, namely in the field of drones", according to the same source.
Also to be signed will be "a cultural, scientific and technical cooperation agreement, a police cooperation agreement, a film co-production agreement, in particular with the Centre National de la Cinématographie, and an action plan for higher education, science and innovation," added Macron's advisor.
Macron's agenda will also include a Franco-Portuguese business forum in Porto with the president of Portugal and the Portuguese prime minister. The forum will focus on economic and investment cooperation between France and Portugal, ties between the two countries, and issues relating to "innovation, defence and the preservation of sovereignty in Europe".
This is the first state visit by a French President to Portugal in 26 years, at the invitation of the Portuguese president, the last having taken place in 1999 with Jacques Chirac. However, Macron had already been invited to the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April, where he ended up saying a word to the Portuguese, with whom France shares a historic relationship.
"There are around two million Lusodescendants in France, almost 50,000 French people are living in Portugal, two million French tourists visited Portugal in 2024," said a counsellor, noting the growth potential.
In June 2022, Macron was in Portugal to participate in the United Nations (UN) Oceans Conference in Lisbon, while Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was last in France in June last year to attend the Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony.
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