Estonia and Portugal

12.12.2011

Portugal recognised the Republic of Estonia de facto in 1918 and de jure on 6 February 1921. Portugal never recognised the occupation of Estonia by the Soviet Union. As a sign of protest, the right of centre minority government prohibited a parliamentary delegation from visiting Estonia during its visit to the Soviet Union in 1987.On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia the highest Estonian state decoration, the Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, was given to Portuguese President Aníbal Cavaco Silva, who was a supporter of the non-recognition policy of Estonia’s occupation during his time as prime minister.

Portugal re-recognised the Republic of Estonia on 27 August 1991 and diplomatic relations were re-established on 1 October 1991.

Portuguese Ambassadors to Estonia

• Dr. Jorge Alberto Nogueira De Lemos Godinho (4 Mar 1993 - 9 Apr 1996)
• Mr. Manuel Moreira de Andrade (1996 - 2001)
• Mr. Filipe Guterres (2001 - 2004)
• Mr. João Manuel da Cruz da Silva Leitão (2004- 2005)
• Mrs. Ana Paula Baptista Grade Zacarias (21.11.2005 – 06.01.2009)
• Mrs. Maria de Fatima de Pina Perestrello (10.12.2009 - ...)

Portuguese State Secretary for European Affairs Manuel Lobo Antunes officially opened the Portuguese Embassy in Tallinn on 12 September 2006.

Estonian Chargés d'Affaires a.i. and Ambassadors:

• Meelike Palli (Chargé d'Affaires a.i) (1997–1999)
• Paul Lettens (Chargé d'Affaires a.i) (1999–2002)
• Märt Piiskop (Chargé d'Affaires a.i) (2002–2003
• Andres Tomasberg (non-resident ambassador, resided in Paris) (1996 – 1997)
• Raul Mälk (non-resident ambassador, resided in London, and from 2001 in Tallinn) (2000 – 2003)
• Aino Leppik von Wirén (the first Estonian ambassador, to reside in Lisbon) (2003 – 2006)
• Mart Tarmak – (2006 – 2010)
• Marin Mõttus (15 October 2010 – )

Prime Minister Mart Siimann, visiting Lisbon in connection with EXPO‘98, officially opened the Embassy of Estonia in Lisbon in August 1998.

Estonia has three honorary consuls in Portugal: Mário Nuno dos Santos Ferreira in the city of Porto in northern Portugal, Gonçalo Martins Dias in the city of Tavira in southern Portugal, and Horácio Franco in Ponta Delgada on the island of São Miguel in the Azores.

Visits

Bilateral Relations

Estonia and Portugal have good relations. During the past few years the number of high-level visits and cultural links between Estonia and Portugal has increased. The year 2009 had historical significance because President Toomas Hendrik Ilves visited Portugal and Portuguese Foreign Minister Luís Amado made his first visit to Estonia.

Relations on the working level are also quite close. In March 2010 a memorandum of mutual understanding was signed by the foreign ministries of Estonia and Portugal, in which the two sides agreed to hold bilateral consultations once a year.

Portugal’s support for Estonia's accession to the European Union and NATO was steadfast. Portugal was also a strong supporter of Estonia joining the Schengen area. As thanks for Portugal’s help in joining the Schengen visa area, Estonia has given the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana III Class to the former mayor of Lisbon and Minister of the Interior Antonio Costa and the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana V Class to specialist of the Ministry of the Interior Maria Eduarda Peixero.

Portugal participated in a rotation of the Baltic air policing mission in 2008.

In the XII Riigikogu the chairman of the Estonia-Portugal parliamentary group is Heljo Pikhof and the vice-chairman is Jaan Õunapuu.

Agreements

Prior to World War II Estonia and Portugal already had a trade agreement. Currently there are seven intergovernmental agreements between Estonia and Portugal:

• Agreement on the Abolishment of Visa Requirements
• Agreement on Co-operation in the Field of Tourism
• Agreement Concerning International Transport of Passengers and Goods by Road
• Co-operation Agreement in the Fields of Language, Education, Culture, Science and Technology, Youth, Sport and Media
• Agreement on the Readmission of Persons
• Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Income Tax Evasion
• Republic of Estonia and the Portuguese Republic Agreement on Mutual Protection of Classified Information

Co-operation memoranda have also been signed between the Estonian and Portuguese defence ministries and foreign ministries.

For more information on the Foreign Ministry’s foreign agreements please visit http://vlepingud.vm.ee/et/

Economic Relations

The global economic crisis has slowed down the development of bilateral trade relations, although there is still reciprocal interest. Potential areas of co-operation are certainly tourism, information and communications technology, and research and development activity, as well as renewable energy production or the food processing industry. Portugal’s interest is demonstrated by the fact that in November 2010 a group of entrepreneurs founded the Luso-Baltic Chamber of Commerce, the goal of which is to develop economic contacts between the Baltic countries and Portuguese-speaking countries. The chamber’s opening event took place in May 2011 and by September 2011 the board of the chamber was visiting Estonia and finding contacts.

In March of 2011 undersecretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications Ahti Kuningas gave a lecture on the impact joining the euro had on Estonia’s economic development at Catholic University in Lisbon.

From 31 January-2 February 2011 a 15-member group of Portuguese journalists visited Tallinn. Following their visit, positive coverage that sparked interest in Estonia appeared in Portuguese publications and television channels. The coverage spoke approvingly of Estonia’s success in the ICT sector and of Tallinn as the European Capital of Culture. Estonia was also introduced as an attractive tourism destination.

TRADE

In 2008 Portugal ranked as Estonia’s 43rd trade partner, in 2009 as the 41st, and in 2010 it was 50th among Estonia’s trade partners. The turnover in these years was, respectively, 20.9 million EUR, 13 million EUR, and 12.7 million EUR. In recent years, trade with Portugal has made up 0.1% of Estonia’s total trade turnover.

Trade from 2004-2011 first half (thousand EUR):

Main export articles in 2010:

• Wood and wood products - 23.7%
• Metals and metal products - 18.9%
• Means of transport - 12.4%
• Machinery and equipment - 11.5%

Main import articles in 2010:

• Textiles and textile products - 29.6%
• Footwear, headwear and umbrellas – 13.5%
• Food and beverages - 13.1%
• Plastic and rubber products - 12.1%

INVESTMENTS

The volume of Portuguese direct investments in Estonia grew until the end of 2008. In 2009 both Estonian direct investments in Portugal and investments from Portugal to Estonia decreased. As of 31 March 2011, the total value of Portuguese direct investments in Estonia was 943 thousand EUR and of Estonian investments in Portugal 19 million EUR.

TOURISM

The number of tourists from Portugal visiting Estonia has grown from year to year and Portugal is also becoming more popular as a destination for Estonians. In 2008, 2644 Portuguese tourists spent the night in Estonian establishments, in 2009 the number was 2617, in 2010 there were 2471 Portuguese tourists accommodated, and in the first nine months of 2011 the number was 2521.

Like most other Southern European tourists, the Portuguese usually visit Estonia in the summertime as part of a tour that visits several neighbouring countries as well. Most Portuguese tourists only visit Tallinn.

Travel of Estonian residents to Portugal

Portugal has become increasingly more popular as a summer vacation spot for Estonian tourists, but Portugal still has much more unrealised potential as a spa or tour destination for Estonians considering its reasonable prices, interesting sights, and friendly citizens that are able to speak English. During the past few years the number of tourists has been positively affected by charter trips that are organised in the summertime from Tallinn to Algarve in southern Portugal.

Education and culture

On 12 May 2003, Estonia and Portugal signed an agreement for co-operation in the fields of language, education, culture, science, technology, youth projects, sports and media. It took effect on 15 December 2005.

Portuguese language instruction takes place in Estonia and there are two Portuguese language centres—one at Tartu University and the other at Tallinn University. Until now only occasional language courses had taken place, but there was no academic language programme. This situation changed thanks to a co-operation agreement signed between Camões Institute and Tallinn and Tartu Universities in 2006. According to the agreement, the Camões Institute will cover all expenses for teachers and materials, and each of the Estonian universities will receive one scholarship to send a student to Portugal to learn the language.

Tallinn’s title as European Capital of Culture will be passed on to the city of Guimarães in northern Portugal for 2012.

ART

Many art exhibits have taken place. In September 2007 an exhibit of Jüri Arrak’s paintings in the monastery Convento des Cardaes took place, and that same year an exhibit of Tanel Veenre’s jewellery was displayed at the Funchal City Theatre on the island of Madeira. In 2008 an exhibition of Valli Lember-Bogatkina’s watercolours was seen in the Lisbon Water Museum and in 2009 the joint exhibit of six Estonian artists “Moss and Lichen” was exhibited in Coimbra. In 2010 events included Markus Kasemaa’s personal exhibit “Figures” in the Azores, an exhibit of paintings by Imat Suuman entitled “Estonian Landscape” in Lisbon, and an exhibit of the works of Estonian glass artists Tiina and Maret Sarapuu also in Lisbon.

In January 2011 the exhibit “Tallinn: Colours, Textures, Emotions” was opened, and in June an exhibit of Markus Kasemaa’s digital prints on canvas was opened at the Camões Institute in Lisbon. In September 2011 the jewellery art project “Border City” was realised in Tallinn.

MUSIC

Estonian musicians have also presented their talents in Portugal, both in independent concerts and in the framework of larger events:
In 2007 Hedvig Hanson and Andre Maaker gave 2 concerts (in Lisbon and Abrantes) and the Estonian Defence Forces Mixed Choir performed in Lisbon. In 2008 a concert by the ETV Girls’ Choir took place in the main hall of Lisbon University to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.

The Helin-Mari Arder Trio gave concerts in Lisbon and Tavira in 2009, and the folk music duo RO:TORO gave a concert in Fundão in 2010.

Concerts by the Arsis Handbell Ensemble in Guimarães (European Capital of Culture 2012) and Lisbon in February of 2011 were very successful.

FILM

At the Estorili international film festival held in November 2007, Veiko Õunpuu’s film “Sügisball” (“Autumn Ball”) won the jury’s special award. The formal premier of “Autumn Ball” in Portugal took place in July 2008. The film remained in the theatre for six weeks.

During the Estorili international film festival held in November 2008, entitled “Temps d’Images”, Kersti Uibo’s documentary “Vaikelu naisega” (“Still Life with Wife”) was recognised.

LITERATURE AND LANGUAGE

The only works of Estonian literature translated into Portuguese to date are "The Czar’s Madman" by Jaan Kross, of which two editions have been published (1992 and 1993), and Eduard Vilde’s "The Milkman of Mäeküla" (2004).

From Portuguese literature, "The Relic" by Eça de Queiroz and "Autopsychography" by Fernando Pessoa have been translated into Estonian by Ain Kaalep, along with "Sunday Afternoon" by Fernando Namora and the set of short stories "The Sword of Tupariz" by Vitorio Kali. In 2007 José Saramago’s “Darkness” was published (translated into Estonian by Mare Vega Salamanca). In 2010 Fernando Pessoa’s selection of poems “Tobacco Shop” was published in Estonia, translated by Tõnu Õnnepalu.

In 2007, the publisher TEA published a small Estonian-Portuguese, Portuguese-Estonian dictionary. In 2008, the brochure “12 Questions”, which presents information about Estonia, was published in Portuguese. In 2010 a brochure in Portuguese containing useful general information and short texts about Estonia was published through the co-operation of the embassy and the Foreign Ministry’s information division.

OTHER

In December 2002, the culturally oriented Lisbon Estonian Society was established.
In the summer of 2004, a friendship and co-operation development agreement was signed between Haapsalu and the central Portuguese city of Fundão (population 10 000), which despite its ancient appearance gained city status only in 1988. On 7 May 2005, Mayor of Haapsalu Teet Kallasvee and Mayor of Fundão Manuel Joaquin Frexes unveiled the new Haapsalu Street in Fundão. It is in the more modern part of town and curves around the new courthouse.

In June 2006, a series of cultural events took place in Tallinn on the occasion of the national day of Portugal and the opening of the Portuguese Embassy. A Portuguese Week was held at Kristiine Centre, a shopping mall, during which Portuguese wines, food and other products were introduced. The national day of Portugal was celebrated at Palmse Manor an hour’s drive outside of Tallinn; pianist Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro performed and Portuguese national food was served. Pinto-Ribeiro also gave a concert at St. Nicholas’ Church in Tallinn.

In October 2007 an Estonian gastronomic week took place at the Lisbon Sheraton, during which Estonian dishes were prepared by master chefs Tõnis Siigur and Raul Tee.

In December 2008, the Estonian Embassy in Lisbon introduced Estonian Christmas traditions during the Christmas event “O Natal na Europa”. Within the framework of the event, two concert were given by folk music duo RO:TORO.

Over the past few years the nationwide garbage cleanup initiative “Limpar Portugal”, or “Clean up Portugal”, has taken place. The campaign has earned widespread media coverage, and a lot of attention is given to the fact that the idea for the initiative originated in Estonia.