H.E. Mr. Miguel de Almeida e Sousa:

Many of the points I had intended to make about innovation were made by my German colleague, such as the fact that the trio is working very well in the purpose for which it was established.

Senator Chambers asked about the blue economy.

It is an expression that defines something that is much wider. It not only encompasses the economy. The economy influences everything, but the countries that have a coastline must adapt. Our oceans are changing, resources are changing and we must explore sustainability. There must be a debate as to how we will do that, and to ensure that we preserve our fishing industry and the livelihood of fishermen. Developments in the area of aquaculture will have an impact here and new technologies can be used to explore and define more precisely our capacities.

We will also need to explore our continental shelves in a reasonable way. The Irish, French and Spanish continental shelves are in a continuous line and the exploration of them was something we were trying to develop before Covid. There is considerable scope for co-operation on security because it is a large area and also in the area of the reasonable and controlled access to resources. The use of wave energy is also being developed.

The blue economy is reality would have been part of the UN conference on oceans. The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, is a former Portuguese Prime Minister, and someone who was very active in the area of marine policy during his premiership. It is sometimes forgotten, but there is a European strategy for the sea, which is being implemented without visibility. We should try to highlight this and show that work is being done. Developments are being made, but we should do more. Ireland and Portugal, as coastal countries, have a special responsibility and interest in developing the blue economy.

The sea represents transport, fisheries and the economy. There are many issues currently being debated such as those concerning the environment and plastic in our oceans and there is a lot of scope for us to highlight issues. The blue economy would be a good topic for Ireland to raise at the meeting in Lisbon.

Regarding Belarus, I have nothing to add to the comments made by H.E. Ms Potzel.

On the question raised regarding the future of Europe and the preparations made, like Germany, Portugal followed the Irish model on the debate with the citizens. The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy McEntee, visited Lisbon and participated in an event. She attended the Portuguese Parliament to discuss and present, and I was impressed by what I saw. I suggested that the Irish model should be followed and it was. At the conference on the future of Europe, we need to reach out, and we should ask what we can do with what we have. We saw with the last referendum that people are growing a little tired of the rules always changing. We have a framework and we should work on it. If we need to change it in the future, we can, but for the time being, we should have a debate that is faithful to the objective, to reflect on our policies and gauge the feelings of the member states on what they would like Europe to be.

If we develop the policies as we are doing now, and that have been identified by everyone, we will reach out to our citizens, which is one of the main priorities of our Presidency.

Regarding Brexit, I will tell the Senator how present the issue is in Portugal. Not a day goes by without a report on this issue. Sometimes I have to move faster than journalists because they can report on issues quicker than I can and they do not have the same things to do that I have. However, it is very much a current issue and it is something that people feel. It is not a foreign problem for them. For example, if one goes to Portugal and speaks to those working in business, rather than those in parliament, it is clear that they are very aware of the issue, and their solidarity with Ireland has not failed since the beginning of the process. Irish and Portuguese people share similarities and are close, even if the Irish are more fair in their colouring. The Irish and Portuguese are also similar in how they react to things, which some may find surprising. There is also a European and Atlantic solidarity. Brexit is, therefore, current in Portugal. As H.E. Ms Potzel stated, we want to maintain a close relationship with the UK because it will solve many problems, but we also want a balanced one which will preserve the integrity of the Internal Market, which Ireland and the whole of Europe needs. We are prepared to come to a solution, and a solution will be reached, but it is too early to say what form that solution will take, because what happens from week to week in London varies. We hope the situation stabilises. Following that, we must find concrete solutions to ensure the provisions and objectives of the protocol are applied and remain intact. These are concerns that Ireland and the other EU member states share.

I reassure the Senator that Portugal has not forgotten about Brexit, and it remains a major topic. I am always reporting on the issue. Even when Michel Barnier sneezes, I have to report on it.