Key insights

• ⚓ Portuguese lawmakers seek to redefine maritime boundaries to extend exclusive jurisdiction over vast areas of seabed in the Atlantic.
• 🌍 Portugal has a historical seafaring culture that led to global influence through trading outposts and colonies.
• 🏝️ Portugal's two autonomous territories have territorial waters and exclusive economic zones, with strategically placed islands being valuable for exclusive economic zones.
• 🌊 Portugal has vast maritime territory, including the Azores and Madeira archipelagos, and an extended continental shelf, enabling it to claim over 2.1 million square kilometers of continental shelf.
• 💰 Portugal aims to leverage historical ties to the Atlantic Ocean to overcome economic challenges and expand its territory through a maritime claim.
• 🚢 Portugal is focusing on developing technology, human expertise, new facilities, and ports to strengthen its position in the Atlantic space and validate its claim on the extended continental shelf.
• 🌊 Portugal aims to develop a modern maritime identity and increase its maritime economy to 50% of the total GDP, embracing its seafaring heritage as essential for achieving this goal.
• ⛏️ Portugal seeks to explore mineral deposits in its maritime space and raise the maritime portion of its economy to 50% of GDP.

Q&A

• What goals does Portugal aim to achieve through its ambitious maritime policy?

  Portugal seeks to expand its maritime resources, develop a modern maritime identity, and increase its maritime economy to 50% of the total GDP. Embracing its seafaring heritage is seen as crucial for achieving these ambitious maritime policy goals.

• What initiatives is Portugal undertaking to strengthen its position in the Atlantic space?

  Portugal is establishing the National Ocean Strategy commission for its maritime economy and focusing on technology development, human expertise, and the legal claim for its extended continental shelf. It also plans to develop new facilities, ports, and other infrastructure to reinforce its position in the Atlantic space.

• What strategic approach is Portugal taking to overcome economic challenges through the proposed maritime claim?

  Portugal aims to distance itself from continental affairs by focusing on its maritime claim, leveraging historical ties to the Atlantic Ocean. This strategic shift is part of the new policy, the Mark Portugal Action Plan, to address economic challenges.

• What is the extent of Portugal's maritime territory, and how does it plan to claim the seabed in the Atlantic?

  Portugal has vast maritime territory, including the Azores and Madeira archipelagos, with a large exclusive economic zone and extended continental shelf. The plan is to claim over 2.1 million square kilometers of the continental shelf using the provisions of the Convention on the Law of the Sea.

• What territories does Portugal currently have with rights to exploit marine resources?

  Portugal has two autonomous territories with territorial waters and exclusive economic zones, which give them rights to exploit marine resources. Additionally, strategically placed islands are valuable for exclusive economic zones.

• What historical factors are motivating Portugal to redefine its maritime boundaries?

  Portugal's historical seafaring culture with global influence, followed by the loss of control over its overseas colonies, has led to the desire to regain influence by redefining maritime boundaries to reclaim its seafaring identity and heritage.

• What is the purpose of the proposed change in maritime boundaries by Portuguese lawmakers?

  The purpose of the proposed change in maritime boundaries is to include vast seabed areas in the Atlantic, aiming to reconnect Portugal to its seafaring identity and heritage, and to extend its exclusive jurisdiction over valuable marine resources.

• 00:00 Portuguese lawmakers aim to change maritime boundaries to include vast seabed areas in the Atlantic, reconnecting Portugal to its seafaring identity and heritage. Portugal has a historical seafaring culture with global influence, but eventually lost control of its colonies, leading to a diminished influence.
• 02:07 Portugal has two autonomous territories with territorial waters and exclusive economic zones, giving them rights to exploit marine resources, strategically placed islands are valuable for exclusive economic zones.
• 04:28 Portugal has vast maritime territory including the Azores and Madeira archipelagos, with a large exclusive economic zone and extended continental shelf. The Atlantic seabed physiography enables Portugal to claim over 2.1 million square kilometers of continental shelf.
• 06:42 Portugal is seeking to expand its territory through a maritime claim, aiming to leverage historical ties to the Atlantic Ocean and distance itself from continental affairs as a strategy to overcome economic challenges.
• 08:53 Portugal is focusing on its maritime economy, aiming to validate its claim on the extended continental shelf to double its territory. The plan involves developing technology, human expertise, new facilities, and ports to strengthen its position in the Atlantic space.
• 11:10 Portugal aims to expand its maritime resources, develop a modern maritime identity, and increase its maritime economy to 50% of the total GDP. Embracing the seafaring heritage is seen as crucial for achieving the ambitious maritime policy.