Accompanied on his visit to Rome – the first by a Portuguese head of government to Italy in 12 years – by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, and Defense, Nuno Melo, Montenegro announced in a joint press conference with Meloni the signing of agreements in the area of ​​foreign policy and defense, with the latter, celebrated within the framework of SAFE (Instrument for Action for the Security of Europe), contemplating the acquisition of three “FREMM EVO” multi-purpose frigates, which will be delivered to the Portuguese Navy between 2029 and 2030.

“This agreement that we are celebrating today [20 July] in the area of ​​Defence for the acquisition of three frigates- we are talking about an investment of approximately three billion and nine hundred million euros. We are talking about capacity, which is Portuguese capacity and European capacity, for the surveillance of our maritime resources and the safeguarding of our strategic interests. Also safeguarding international navigability and the conditions of free and fair trade at a global level,” declared Montenegro.

“We are talking about science, we are talking about knowledge, we are talking about economic opportunities that are not exhausted by this equipment. There is a set of industries and activities that collaborate so that this equipment is later considered cutting-edge worldwide, and so cutting-edge that our option was to acquire it. We are talking about what our strategy is in Europe: to have greater autonomy, greater capacity, but at the same time to do this by creating more jobs, better jobs, more business and better opportunities,” he continued.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence specifies that the agreement to acquire the frigates – in whose ceremony Minister Nuno Melo and the Chief of Staff of the Navy, Admiral Jorge Nobre de Sousa, as well as the Italian Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto, participated – also provides for “its maintenance, technology transfer and other conditions necessary for the operational exploitation of the ships, throughout their life cycle, not less than 30 years”.

Investment in the ocean

“This investment in the ocean surface and anti-submarine warfare areas also foresees cooperation with the defence industries, with strong incorporation of national companies, technology transfer, the revitalisation of the Alfeite Arsenal, as well as a significant return for the national economy,” indicates the ministry, adding that “the decision represents a significant portion of the SAFE investment (€5.8 billion).”

At the joint press conference with Meloni at the Palazzo Chigi, the seat of the Italian Government, Luís Montenegro considered that “a new phase in relations between Portugal and Italy” is beginning, which “starts with a visit by a Prime Minister [of Portugal to Italy] that has not taken place for approximately 12 years,” and that he hopes “to be able to reciprocate shortly by receiving the President [of the Council] Giorgia Meloni in Portugal.”

“We have a relationship that is old, strong, and close, but which still has much to offer, much to explore, and that is what we did in the working meeting we held. First of all, to initiate a new phase of reciprocal consultations in terms of our foreign policy and, therefore, of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs. The agreement we signed is already a very strong sign of this strategy and this path. And then also the agreement we signed to equip the Portuguese Navy with three new frigates of Italian construction,” he declared.

Visit to Italy

Meloni also highlighted the fact that this is the first visit of a Portuguese head of government to Italy “in more than 10 years” and said he “interprets this occasion as an important sign of the common will to relaunch the relationship” between the two countries.

“We can do a lot together, especially if we take into account the many things that Italy and Portugal have in common. First of all, obviously, our geographical location. We are maritime nations that have always projected their economic, cultural, commercial and strategic vocation beyond their borders, also and above all thanks to the privileged position they enjoy in relation to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic,” he said.

Meloni said that it was agreed to relaunch bilateral cooperation by doing so “comprehensively, based on a document signed today by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Minister [Antonio] Tajani and Minister Rangel,” which will allow the political dialogue between the two governments to become “even more stable and even more structured.”

“Of course, we are not starting from scratch. We are starting with foundations that are already solid,” he said, then pointing out that one of the sectors in which Italy and Portugal “can certainly make a leap in quality is the defence industry.”

Portuguese decision

Giorgia Meloni stated, “I am very, very happy with the decision of the Portuguese authorities to acquire three EVO frigates built by [shipbuilding company] Fincantieri,” considering it “a recognition of the excellence of Italian industry, but also a demonstration that Europe can strengthen its autonomy by investing in the industrial and technological capabilities of its companies.”

“I also think this is an opportunity to further deepen cooperation between our maritime value chains, extending it to civil shipbuilding, to the various sectors linked to the blue economy, but also to the global issue of the sea and the strategic value chains that are linked to this domain of present and future geopolitics,” she added.

After Rome, Luís Montenegro visits another European capital, Athens, on 22 July for a working meeting with the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.