Switzerland and Portugal target intensified scientific cooperation

(CONNECT) Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis has met with his Portuguese counterpart Paulo Rangel from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for bilateral talks in Lisbon. According to a press release issued by the Federal Council, Rangel underlined Portugal’s interest in intensified bilateral exchanges, particularly in the field of research and innovation. The economic relations between the two countries, which have already been developing positively, are to be further expanded, with a particular emphasis in this regard on the IT sector and renewable energies. With Switzerland’s associate membership of Horizon Europe, the EU’s research framework program focusing on innovation in the areas of climate change, sustainable development and EU competitiveness, cooperation between Switzerland and Portugal will also be intensified at European level, as the press release continues.

In terms of the geopolitical situation, Cassis informed his Portuguese counterpart about Switzerland’s preparations ahead of its upcoming stint as Chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2026. Both Cassis and Rangel also welcomed the implementation of the first phase of the US President’s peace process for the Middle East and efforts aimed at supporting the reconstruction of Ukraine.

The strong ties between the two countries are based on the large Portuguese community in Switzerland with a population of around 225,000 people. This makes it the third largest foreign community in Switzerland. Moreover, the importance of Portuguese in Switzerland, the second most widely spoken foreign language after English, was demonstrated by a meeting between Federal Councilor Cassis and the Executive Secretary of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP). During the meeting with Ambassador Maria de Fátima Monteiro Jardim, Cassis presented Switzerland’s official request to join the CPLP with the status of an associate observer state. ce/ja