Speech: EU-Macao: An eye on the past, a foot in the future

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, in Macao Tower, Macao, on 23 November 2013.

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I thank you all for your gracious welcome in this most beautiful and vibrant city. I very much enjoyed all my previous and numerous visits to Macao, including as president of the European Commission in July 2005, and I have looked forward to returning.

Let me tell you also what a personal pleasure it is for me to be back to Macao today. Obviously, Macao retains close links with the Portuguese culture and has a special resonance to me as a Portuguese.

We share a lot, not least a language, which is by the way spoken by 280 million people all over the world. And I appreciate that Macao's role as a platform and a bridge between China and Portuguese speaking countries was underlined in China's 12th Five-Year Plan. Early this month, Macao was host to the 4thMinisterial Conference of the 'Economic Co-operation Forum between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries'.

We are also linked by special bonds of history and family. And as you may know our Portuguese National Day is the day of the death of Luis de Camões, the greatest name in our literature – and indeed one of the greatest poets of the history of mankind – who lived in Macao for a couple of years in the 16th century.

A substantial part of his epic poem "Os Lusíadas" was written here. Today his bust can be seen in a city garden at the entrance of the grotto where legend tells us he lived. Camões journeyed widely from Africa to South East Asia. Through all seasons the weather of Macau was closer to that of his native Lisbon than any other he found in his travels.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today, in this tower, we are meeting at a very privileged place to embrace and grasp Macao's impressive diversity and dynamism from its historic heart with its many UNESCO heritage sites and from its thriving leisure and tourism hub with its world class hotels and integrated resorts to the brand new campus of the University of Macao and the future industrial development on Hengqin Island.

This is indeed the perfect place for a very special day in our bilateral relationship as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between Macao and the EU. This agreement was signed in 1993, during the transition period after the Joint Declaration was agreed by China and Portugal in 1987 and the hand-over to China in 1999. This demonstrates that we in the European Union were partners since the very first hour, and partners not just in good weather, but partners for all seasons.

This celebration is an opportunity to take a step back while also looking ahead with the aim to broaden and deepen our partnership. An eye on the past, a foot in the future.

Since we signed this Agreement, our growing economic ties have added an important dimension to our already old and rich relationship. The numbers tell a significant story. Our trade relations have been growing steadily and smoothly. They have shown record volumes year after year and stood at 511 million euros in 2012. For Macao, the EU is now the second largest source of imports after mainland China and its 4th largest export market.

For years to come, I believe we still need to further strengthen this very productive relationship and fully exploit all the potential for greater mutual investment, trade, cooperation and growth. Let's look at the facts.

No doubt that the EU's internal market is important for Asia's future growth. Indeed, despite the crisis the EU remains the world's largest single market with 500 million affluent consumers, 23 million Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, a GDP of 12.7 trillion euro and a 20% share of world export. The EU is also the largest source and recipient of foreign direct investment. And we are working on exploiting the full untapped potential of our internal market and on promoting a more business and innovation-friendly environment to deliver smart, sustainable and inclusive growth as sketched out in our European blueprint for growth and job creation, the Europe 2020 strategy.

And no doubt either that Macao is a key hub between Asia and Europe. Macao benefits from a robust economy. This year, you have achieved a double-digit growth. Investment spending has also showed solid expansion. Riding on your strong tourism base, you are now looking at economic diversification.

All this means that there is room to work even more closely together in order to better translate our common interests in common actions and successfully confront new challenges.

The EU wants to be on your side as Macao seeks to further build on its strengths and branch out to new economic activities. With greater regional integration within the Pearl River Delta, with Macao, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, I am confident that European businesses will be able to contribute to your success including in turning an already successful leisure hub into an exemplary low-carbon leisure hub.

The inauguration of the EU-Macao Chamber of Commerce later today as well as our on-going cooperation with the Institute for Promotion of Investment in Macao (IPIM) should be instrumental in that respect.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We certainly share the same objective: to keep markets open, to respect the rules of fair competition and resist protectionist tendencies so as to boost growth at regional and global level. We know that it is essential for the prosperity and stability of the regional and world economy. And it is ultimately about the difference we can make in our citizens' life and well-being. But clearly our citizens' well-being depends not only on economics. This is why our relationship is much deeper.

Europe's relations with Macao draw on deep historic and cultural roots. They are based on common values and wide ranging shared interests.

And in this regard, I would like to recall that the EU strongly supports the "one country, two systems" principle and in particular the respect for human rights and individual freedom enshrined in the Basic Laws which should be enjoyed by the citizens.

Therefore I warmly welcome the successful functioning of this principle as well as the progress achieved towards a greater degree of democracy in the electoral system. Indeed, we strongly believe that the spread and fostering of democracy throughout the world is the best means of creating legitimate, stable, accountable and transparent government protecting rights and freedom and upholding the rule of law.

And at the risk of pointing to the obvious, let me add that we do also share the same planet and the same responsibility towards its sustainable future. Whatever our domestic problems might be, we cannot turn our back to this global responsibility.

It is no secret to any of you that Europe went through some difficult times recently.  Let me tell you that I am confident that we will come out of this crisis with a more competitive and resilient economy, but also with an even stronger and more united Europe.

Indeed Europe is seriously fighting back. Together we are creating a more sustainable future for the euro. We are completing our Economic and Monetary Union. We are tackling the lack of competitiveness in parts of our Union. We are correcting the economic imbalances and developing deeper economic governance. And we are on the right track, our efforts are now bearing their first fruits and we must pursue them with determination.

But we are fully aware that our efforts must not end at home because what is at stake is not limited to our European interdependence, it is about our global interdependence. And being interdependent means acting as a responsible stakeholder. This is one of the lessons of globalisation. In the end, there is no such thing as a free ride.

It is in this spirit that the EU is taking a leading role on global challenges, such as climate change and green growth. And the EU-Macao annual high level political dialogue is a welcome and fruitful forum not only to take stock of our on-going bilateral cooperation but also to update each other about relevant developments on these key issues in our respective regions.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Our comprehensive relationship also aims at fostering mutual understanding, stimulating exchange of ideas, and strengthening links between our people. Together we certainly wish to fully reap the benefits of our respective cultural diversity.

Our excellent cooperation in support of multilingualism - particularly through our bilateral cooperation on training of interpreters and translators - and the EU Academic Program, which will further promote educational and cultural exchanges for the young generation, are good illustrations, among many others, of this shared willingness.

I am also pleased to announce that we have agreed with the Macao SAR Government to continue cooperation in the legal field. We have worked together in this area ever since 2002, under two successive phases of the EU-Macao Legal Cooperation Programme. This Programme has been successful in allowing a concrete and hands-on exchange of legal experience in areas of priority to the Macao Government. For that reason we are keen to continue the cooperation in the years to come.

And I am looking forward with great interest to the Model European Council that you will host in mid-December as part of the 20thanniversary celebrations. I have been explained that young Macao students will step in the shoes of EU Heads of State and Government, the Council President and also in mine. I would like to warn them: they better prepare for a long day because at times we debate until late at night to find a satisfactory compromise at 28!

I think that such an experience is also a good opportunity to realize how much at national, European, or global level, foresight, political will and the power of persuasion contribute to make the difference between shaping our future and letting it be shaped by others, between using new opportunities and having to pay the price of inaction.

This is in fact what the EU-Macao relationship is fundamentally about: how do we face the future together in an ever changing world to leave a better world to the next generations.

Let me conclude by saying how proud the EU is of its relationship with Macao and the many ties that connect the people of Macao and the people of Europe. This is what makes Macao special. This is what makes you different. Your openness to others is your greatest asset.

I look forward to a continued and enhanced partnership that will reinforce the unique nature of Macao and contribute to the prosperity of its people.

I thank you for your attention.

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