FLAD launches this Monday the first episode of its new podcast, Atlantic Talks.

These weekly talks, which include Portugal, the United States, and the rest of the world, will be conducted by journalist Filipe Santos Costa. The first guest is the former Prime Minister and President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso.

From the day he decided to join the PSD political party, 40 years ago, through contact with the world’s most notable leaders – such as George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Angela Merkel – José Manuel Barroso reviewed his history as a politician and ruler, and says that “The 25th of April 25 of 1974 was one of the happiest days” of his life: “I was at Largo do Carmo, I witnessed the fall of the regime.”

Former Portuguese Prime Minister also recalls the two years he lived in the United States in the late 1990s with his wife and children, when he was a Visiting Professor at Georgetown University,with the support of FLAD.

In the present and the future, he claims that the political climate shows that Europe must be more independent.

“I am sincerely adept of Europe having a strong relationship with the United States. With that said, Europe cannot always be dependent on the United States. (…) We, Europeans, have to assume that we are already adults. ” – José Manuel Barroso.

The interview with José Manuel Barroso is part of the new podcast launched by FLAD, entitled Atlantic Talks. Every Monday a new episode will be released with personalities from various sectors of the Portuguese society, to explore the connection and impact of the United States in Portugal over the last 35 years.

The initiative is part of the 35th anniversary of the Luso-American Development Foundation,which we celebrate this year.

The first episode of Atlantic Talks is now available in the following applications: