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Duarte Marques

 

A visit at PSDB, Brazil's Opposition Party's Congress: How YEPP can help South America

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Saturday,17/Dec/11
Duarte Marques

It was a great experience to participate in the founding Congress of PSDB, the biggest opposition party in Brasil, where I was invited to share my experience and thoughts on the political situation. As sister countries they are familiar with our work in Portugal at the level of the Party and JSD and our practices are always a useful example for their initiatives. Brazil plays a very important role in global politics, being the leading country of the South American League. The President of Brazil, Dilma and her party are facing numerous corruption problems.

The other 2 international guests were Juan Carlos Martinez, one of the youth leaders of Primero Justicia, Opposition Party in Venezuela, and Collin Jergens member of Barack Obama's campaign team.

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Being present at the beginning of a new era for Spain, for EPP, for Europe

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Monday,21/Nov/11
Duarte Marques

Last night was remarkable, the victory, the historic numbers of this result for Partido Popular, but especially the responsibility shown by Mariano Rajoy and his 'inner circle' during the victory speech. Despite this astonishing result, and the consequent defeat of PSOE, PP leader has shown to all country that is now the President of all Spanish citizens, no matter who they voted for, no matter their political views. Everybody is needed to put Spain back on track and to get the country growing again.

Being present on a day like this, in the PP headquarters was a true honor for me thanks to the huge efforts of Maria Fuster who introduce me to all PP leading figures. I felt at home, in our EPP family. I was present at the very beginning of a new era, of a new opportunity for Spain, for the EPP political family, a new beginning for Europe itself.

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Portugal’s Economic Assistance Programme can be an opportunity to modernize our country

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Saturday,12/Nov/11
Duarte Marques

In recent months, there has been a natural tendency to compare the cases of Greece and Portugal because both countries have an Economic Assistance Programme negotiated with the European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund and European Commission. However, one should be careful in this exercise. Each case is different both in the origins of the problem and in the type of programme agreed upon. Each country has its specific strengths and weaknesses but I am confident that in the end both will prevail. 
In Portugal we happen to have a considerable political consensus around the measures contained in the Memorandums of Understanding, because the three main political parties in Parliament (representing more than 80% of the votes) supported the agreement with the Troika.
It is national understanding that the Assistance Programme can also represent a huge opportunity to modernize our country, as it gives us the right incentives to implement structural reforms in key areas, such as in the judicial system, education, health, banking, energy and labour market.

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