On Friday, June 27, NOVA University Lisbon awarded Maria Damanaki, former European Commissioner, for her work in favor of sustainability and protection of the oceans and defense of women’s rights. The doctor honoris causa ceremony took place in an atmosphere of great joy and emotion, among friends and academics. The ceremony was honored with the presence of the Greek Αmbassador in Lisbon. Maria Damanaki noted at her speech:
“I stand before you, proud and humble. This is a great honour from a great institution of a great country. The first University of Portugal that had always been in my heart. I never imagined an honour like this in my whole adventurous life. Perhaps you are wondering what the phrase ‘adventurous life’ means. It’s only fair to share a few words about myself to provide some context. I am thinking right now that in a lot of ways I followed the pattern that Professor Robert Langer described here some minutes before: The less travelled path to an unconventional life.
I was born on a Mediterranean island, Crete, next to the sea. I almost drowned while exploring the blue area in front of our house when I was three. Since then, I have come to realize that the ocean is deeply connected to my life. I studied engineering at the Technical University of Athens. At that time, Greece was under a dictatorship regime. (Almost the same as the one here in Portugal). I was involved in the underground movement and ended up in prison as a political prisoner. This was not a good experience at all, of course, but, as I argue, all facts have two sides: It came with a great reward. When democracy was restored, I was elected a member of parliament—the youngest ever elected—and then continued to be re-elected for more than 25 years, consistently.
My life as a politician was interesting enough. I was the first woman to chair a Parliament session and the first woman leader of a political party in Greece. The challenges were enormous and ignited the flame for gender issues. I wrote a book and had a postgraduate course on gender issues at Lancaster University.
I had the satisfaction of contributing to the European path that Greece followed ever since, as a European believer. I am still today. I left the party I founded when it turned anti-European, and I ended up in the European Commission as a Commissioner for the Marine. I will refer to this period of my life in more detail later, as it was the time when my relationship with Portugal and Lisbon began.
After the end of the mandate, I was offered a job in the States. How come? During my mandate, I initiated numerous international initiatives to enhance cooperation and the EU’s role in global ocean governance. I have also cooperated extensively with the US administration on all key legislative initiatives. I was invited by President Obama and the State Department several times. To make a long story short, after my Brussels life, I was offered the role of Global Oceans Director for The Nature Conservancy, the world’s largest environmental organization. I lived in Washington, DC for five years. The American Dream experience was the best social lesson in my life. The comparison of the European and American way of life is the subject of another interesting book I would like to write. Within the political framework of American culture, managing a global program with a substantial budget and teams across 27 countries was a constant challenge for the body and soul. The exclusively personal responsibility model and the absence of society as an overarching concept in the United States make the USA the most productive, innovative, advanced, and powerful nation on the planet; however, the strict rules make life unbearable for those who fail or fall outside the established norms. Is it worth it? I don’t know. However, what I do know is that, at the end of the day, I personally prefer the European model of living. After five years, having experienced the first Trump administration, I transitioned to an advisory and board role. Why? Less anxiety, more motivation to think and to stay relevant.
Looking back, I feel satisfied. I have already lived three or four lives. Something as crucial as the honour I am receiving today was not in my plans or on my mind. And many of you are wondering: What is an engineer doing in law school? She is not even a lawyer. So, let me try to give some answers.
For two years now, I have been teaching postgraduate students. Marine Policy is my subject. What is Marine Policy? What is policy? Policy is not only a legal text. It can be a course, a method, a principle, or a high-level plan. It can ultimately become a legal document, of course. A public authority, a party, a business, or an individual can propose it. What does the word marine mean? Marine refers to the ocean in general, its ecosystems, and all the living creatures that inhabit the surface or the depths. It is broader than the word maritime, which refers more specifically to human activities such as navigation or shipping. Into this wider framework, I have something to contribute, and this is my primary motivation for being a teacher at this institution.
But there is also a second reason. This reason is connected to my life in Brussels and my work on establishing the current European legal framework on marine issues. Let me start from the beginning.
The starting point is my time as a commissioner. I took office in 2010. My portfolio was neither the biggest nor the most important. This was expected as Greece was in a challenging position. It was during a severe economic crisis and under a strict restriction program imposed by the EU institutions. But the portfolio had something unpredictable and very important. It had exclusive competence on fisheries and some competence on marine issues. I have realized that I was in a very powerful position to make the necessary changes to my small sector. So, I spent the entire summer of 2009 studying, and I came in with a plan for both fisheries and the blue economy.
This is the second reason I am here today, although I am not a lawyer. Most of the current legal basis of the EU regarding the marine environment bears my signature. I initiated the relevant EC’s proposals: The basic fisheries regulation. The maritime spatial planning directive. The regulation to combat IUU. The directive for the Fisheries Fund eliminated fisheries subsidies from European funding. The regulation for endangered species. The blue growth agenda and initiative. All of them are very familiar to me. All these pieces are based on the same three principles: Following scientific evidence, striking a balance between the ocean’s health and people’s interests, and focusing on the long-term viability of livestock and the sustainability of human activities. The process was not easy: For the basic regulation, I needed 1.5 years of preparation and consultation with stakeholders. Then I had an unsuccessful attempt when the entire college of commissioners dropped off my proposals, which led to something akin to a personal crisis. But then Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, whom I met when I was three, saved me. I returned with an action plan for mobilizing all possible allies and gathering one million signatures for my reform, which was accepted by the EC. Then I needed one more year of legal processes with the council and parliament to reach the happy ending. So, my conclusion that I try to convey to my students: Don’t give up easily. Things will work out well in the end. If they are not good now, the end is not here yet.
And now I will try to explain the third reason I am here today. It is connected to this great country, Portugal. Throughout this reforming process, many EU member states were not friendly to me. More support came from the North, especially the Scandinavian region. The South was generally negative, but there was an exception. Portugal was always there. Initially, I thought Portugal was supportive due to President Barroso and the Portuguese members of my cabinet and services. Then I realised that it was the breeze of the Atlantic Ocean, and the culture of a maritime nation made up of navigators. In this vein, I was more than happy to meet Assuncao Cristas as the Portuguese minister for Marine, before adopting the blue growth agenda, and we did it together. Two years ago, she opened the teaching chapter in my life.
Margarida Lima Rego, our dean, as well as Assuncao, also gave me the opportunity to enter the Academia research world. A new challenge for me: connecting different roles. I connected the advisory role in Oceans5 with NOVA and the Leading Women for the Ocean network. This network is working globally. We started a research program on Women in the Blue Economy. Thanks to our efforts and the cooperation with professors Nausica Palazzo and Patricia Andre, as well as our great team and coordinator Manuela Bocayuva, we presented our report at UNOC in Nice three weeks ago.
Reaching the end of this intervention, I must mention that the teaching initiative is always a real challenge beyond my experience. Invaluable! I wish you all the best of luck in facing similar challenges in your life. It is also an opportunity to learn a lot. I had the motivation to catch up with all the new facts. The feeling of entering a class with young people who are really present is unique. A vivid quest and challenge in the air. I owe a lot to my students. I want to thank all of them. I also owe a great deal to NOVA, as an institution, for creating this excellent academic and cultural environment. As a Greek, I am jealous of it.
Once, one of my students, a Portuguese, asked me about a bottleneck in his career. I didn’t have a clear answer to give, so I shared a poem with him. I discovered it in my twenties. I will share it with you today.
To be great, be whole.
In each thing, be all. Give all you are in the least you ever do.
The whole moon, because it rides so high, is reflected in each pool.
My student, though Portuguese, didn’t recognize the poet. But I tell you: Fernando Pessoa wrote it.
Thank you all for being present in my joy today.”