World Debate Portugal

Values of Portugal
With rising unemployment and a growing budget deficit exceeding the mandated Eurozone limit, Portugal s challenge is ensuring long-term economic and political stability and restoring public confidence. In Portugal, as in the United States, politicians have sold green energy programs to communities with promises of job creation. Locally, the effect has often proved limited. For example, more than five years ago, the isolated city of Moura became the site of Portugal s largest solar plant because it gets the most sun of anywhere in Europe and has lots of useless space, There are about 20,000 Americans living in Portugal. The United States-Portugal defense relationship is strong and enduring.The Portuguese Government is seeking greater cooperation with U.S. Portugal is a great supporter of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP)

Australian Refugees (Portugal)

Australia attempted to resolve their refugee problem by arguing that Portugal should provide sanctuary for the asylum seekers on the grounds that Portuguese law provided the right of citizenship for East Timorese. This would be a diplomatic solution that would not threaten the relationship with Indonesia regarded as critical to Australian security. This solution, however, confronted serious obstacles. In 1976 Portugal adopted a new constitution which did not include East Timor within the territory of Portugal, or within any territories under Portuguese administration. Ultimately the Federal Court and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal decided the asylum seekers could not be compelled to seek protection from Portugal. Despite this, Portugal resolved to having multiple assistance funds and councils going to East Timor to try and decline the amount of refugees leaving. Portugal is not a supporter of the refugee chrisis, but they simply don t want potentially dangerous people in their borders. Portugal does not have a tradition of admission and reception of large fluxes ofrefugees. The exceptions could be the thousands that fled from the Civil War in Spain and the flux of some 200,000 who transited throughout the country to the Americas during the Second World War.

Portugal s Stance on Nuclear Power

Portugal recognises the growing importance of these themes and participates in all international agreements, systems and organisations relevant to the area. Portugal has also advocated universal ratification of the existing legal instruments on chemical, biological and toxin disarmament, i.e. the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention. In this area Portugal participates in the UN Programme of Action to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, and strict compliance with the provisions of the EU code of conduct on Conventional weapons exports; and that this should be legally binding in nature. Portugal is entirely against Nuclear power. They are all for Solar, Wind and other renewable energy sources. A nationwide supply of renewable power requires a grid that can move electricity from windy, sunny places to the cities. Running a country using electricity derived from nature s highly unpredictable forces requires new technology and the juggling skills of a plate spinner. A wind farm that produces 200 megawatts one hour may produce only 5 megawatts a few hours later; the sun shines intermittently in many places; hydropower is plentiful in the rainy winter, but may be limited in summer. It is evident that Portugal is significantly dependent on fossil fuels (oil in particular), and that the energy demand in the country is increasing (which leads to an increase in imports and energy supply balance). One can see that the role of natural gas as a source of energy in Portugal has also been increasing in the last couple of years. At the moment, the contribution from renewable energy resources to the supply mix is small. Portugal is aiming at increasing its wind and solar energy capabilities in order to meet the required renewable-produced electricity targets of the EU, however. European Union EU renewable league 5th Portugal 20.5%, target 31% Nearly 45 percent of the electricity in Portugal s grid will come from renewable sources this year, up from 17 percent just five years ago. it is estimated that electricity consumption in Portugal will increase from 41.1 billion kWhrs to 61 billion kWhrsbetween 2000 and 2050, which is equivalent to a linear annual growth in electricity consumption of 0.4 billion kWh per year. The current contribution of natural gas to Portugal s energy supply is of 12%, Portugal is now on track to reach its goal of using domestically produced renewable energy, including large-scale hydropower, for 60 percent of its electricity and 31 percent of its total energy needs by 2020. In making the shift, Portugal has overcome longstanding concerns about reliability and high cost. Portugal says it has kept costs down by focusing heavily on the cheapest forms of renewable energy wind and hydropower and ratcheting down the premium prices it pays to lure companies to

build new plants. To ensure a stable power base when the forces of nature shut down, the system needs to maintain a base of fossil fuel that can be fired up at will. While the government estimates that the total investment in revamping Portugal s energy structure will be about $22 billion, that cost is borne by the private companies that operate the grid and the renewable plants and is reflected in consumers electricity rates. The companies payback comes from the 15 years of guaranteed wholesale electricity rates promised by the government. Once the new infrastructure is completed, Mr.Pinho said, the system will cost about 1.7 billion euros ($2.3 billion) a year less to run than it formerly did, primarily by avoiding natural gas imports. A smaller savings will come from carbon credits Portugal can sell under the European Union s carbon trading system: countries and industries that produce fewer emissions than allotted can sell permits to those that exceed their limits. Portugal never depended heavily on coal for electricity generation because close and reliable sources of natural gas were available in North Africa, and Europe s carbon trading system could make coal costly. To accommodate all this, Portugal needed new transmission lines from remote windy regions to urban centers. Portugal began modernizing its grid a decade ago. Accommodating a greater share of renewable power cost an additional 480 million euros, or about $637 million, an expense folded into electricity rates, according to R.E.N. "Countries that do not invest in renewables will pay a high price in future. The cost of inaction is very high indeed. The perception that renewable energy is very expensive is changing every day as the oil price goes up." Government officials say the energy transformation required no increase in taxes or public debt, precisely because the new sources of electricity, which require no fuel and produce no emissions, replaced electricity previously produced by buying and burning imported natural gas, coal and oil. By 2014 the renewable energy program will allow Portugal to fully close at least two conventional power plants and reduce the operation of others. It is the start of a potentially giant global industry with Portuguese firm Enersis planning to invest more than 1bn in a series of farms that together would power 450,000 homes. Compared with the United States, European countries have powerful incentives to pursue renewable energy. Many, like Portugal, have little fossil fuel of their own, and the European Union s emissions trading system discourages fossil fuel use by requiring industry to essentially pay for excessive carbon dioxide emissions. The demand for electrical power from pure or hybrid nuclear energy plants will depend not only on the total demand for electrical power, but also on how much renewable energy technologies contribute to meeting the country s increasing energy demand in the future, and on how much traditional sources continue to contribute to Portugal s energy supply. In MIT s interdisciplinary study The Future of Nuclear Power 8 it is estimated that electricity consumption in Portugal will increase from 41.1 billion kWhrs to 61 billion kWhrsbetween 2000 and 2050, which is equivalent to a linear annual growth in electricityconsumption of 0.4 billion kWh per year. The current contribution of natural gas toPortugal s energy supply is of 12%9, and as shown in

Figure 3, it is growing. For this exercise I am assuming 20% of the electricity demand will be met by natural gas. Portugal, without its own oil, coal or gas and with no expertise in nuclear power, is pitching to lead Europe's clean-tech revolution with some of the most ambitious targets and timetables for renewables. Its intention, the economics minister, Manuel Pinho, said, is to wean itself off oil and within a decade set up a low carbon economy in response to high oil prices and climate change. "We have to reduce our dependence on oil and gas," said Pinho. "What seemed extravagant in 2004 when we decided to go for renewables now seems to have been a very good decision." He expects Portugal to generate 31% of all its energy from clean sources by 2020. This means lifting its renewable electricity share from 20% in 2005 to 60% in 2020, compared with Britain's target of 15% of all energy by 2020. Having passed its target for 2010 it could soon top the EU renewables league. In less than three years, Portugal has trebled its hydropower capacity, quadrupled its wind power, and is investing in flagship wave and photovoltaic plants. Encouraged by long-term guarantees of prices by the state, and not delayed by planning laws or government indecision, it has proved a success. Firms are expected to invest 10bn in renewables by 2012 and up to 100bn by 2020. This is a great success, say regional governments. In northern Portugal, where the world's biggest wind farm, with more than 130 turbines, is now being strung across the mountainous Spanish border, a German firm employs more than 1,200 people building 600 40-metre-long fibreglass wind turbine blades a year.

Standing Armies
The Portuguese Army is the ground branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in co-operation with other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the defence of Portugal. It is one of the oldest armies in the world, established in the 12th century. Definition: A standing army is a professional permanent army. It is composed of full-time career soldiers and is not disbanded during times of peace. It differs from army reserves, who are activated only during wars or natural disasters. Standing armies tend to be better equipped, better trained, and better prepared for emergencies, defensive deterrence, and particularly wars. Goal: to diffuse conflict anywhere in the world and use force to separate fighting parties. Portugal is involved in many peace-keeping actions & forces& operations in Africa, and has troops deployed in kazicstan. In per capita terms, Portugal is one of the most significant European contributers to international peace keeping operations around the world. We spend relatively, a lot of money to allow our troops to be part of these peace keeping forces and therefore, Portugal would be in favour of a United Nations standing army. Portugal has put in a huge effort so far and therefore, if the UN has a standing army, it will save Portugal time and money so that Portugal does not need to volunteer so many troops from their small army to keep world peace all of the time.

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO),

As a founder member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Portugal has continually shown its commitment to the Alliance and the defence of the Euro-area and its values. Portugal s contribution to NATO has increased significantly over the last 20 years, and Portuguese forces have participated in numerous Alliance missions. Currently, Portugal intends to maintain an active role in the Alliance and its many components.

European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP)

Portugal will host the next NATO summit, to be held during the second half of 2010 or the first half of 2011. ESDP, the European Security and Defence Policy, is currently one of the most dynamic areas of the process of European integration. It has Portugal s strong support. Portugal has contributed actively to ESDP missions. Strengthening the ESDP was on the agenda of Portugal s presidencies of the EU in both 2000 and 2007. Finally, it should be stressed that Portugal sees ESDP as complementary to the strengthening of transatlantic relations, and regards the development of efficient EU-NATO cooperation as being of the greatest importance. In addition, Portugal has ratified the Ottawa Convention on antipersonnel mines, the Convention on prohibitions or restrictions on the use of certain conventional weapons which may be deemed to be excessively injurious or to have indiscriminate effects (and all its protocols), and the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Portugal gives the highest importance to the negotiation of an Arms trade treaty. Finally, Portugal supports the process of conventional arms reduction in Europe, which has contributed decisively to peace and stability on our continent. Portugal is a State Party to the CFE Treaty and the Open Skies Treaty, has signed the OSCE Document on confidence-building measures in security, and participates actively in implementing them.

Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP)

Portugal has been fully committed in its participation in formulating the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), with a view to strengthening its role in the construction of Europe. This exercise is coordinated by the Directorate for Common Foreign and Security Policy Services (PESC), which has an across-the-board view of the activities of all the Ministry s other departments, and generally monitors national positions and actions in the many areas of foreign affairs, ensuring the necessary coherence and convergence. PESC is also responsible for coordinating or defining Portugal s approach at meetings of the Policy and Security Committee and of the CFSP working groups, thus ensuring a coherent and integra ted vision for Portugal s position and participation in the various consultation and decision-making fora of the Common Foreign and Security Policy.