‘If there is another crisis, Portugal and Greece will suffer more’

A view of Athens with the ancient Acropolis hill in the background. 'The legacy of the seven-year military dictatorship in Greece cannot be compared with the 48 years of authoritarian rule in Portugal. For better or worse, in economic and social terms, there was a break and a new beginning in Portugal behind the strict process of political change, which was not the case in Greece,' Professor Antonio Costa Pinto tells Kathimerini. [AP]

The similarities between Greece and Portugal, such as the size of their population and economies - located on the opposite sides of Europe, are more than they may seem, despite their distinct historical development. In both countries, the return of the nationalist far-right is a new phenomenon, says Antonio Costa Pinto, research professor at the Institute of Social Science at the University of Lisbon, in an interview with Kathimerini.

The discussion was held on the occasion of a conference in Athens with the title "Global Crisis and Democratic Transition in Southern Europe: a Political History," which was organized by the Hellenic Parliament Foundation for Parliamentarism and Democracy and ended on December 15.

Greeks tend to compare their country with Portugal to highlight our domestic inability to catch up with the rest of Southern Europe within the EU. What...

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