Keynote speech
Francisco Pinto Balsemao, Former Prime Minister of Portugal, founder of the Social Democratic Party and founder of the magazine 'Expresso'

For people too young to remember the role the press played in bringing democracy to Spain and Portugal, Franciso Pinto Balsemao provides a lesson.

"Editors and journalists in Portugal and Spain played a vanguard role that put an end to the authoritarian systems and allowed the citizens to become the protaganists of change," he said. "The free flow of information always comes before the fall of dictators."`
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He uses the example of Portugal and Spain to warn against cynicism – he said the press can play a similar role in combatting today's scourge of terrorism. "By assaulting the free press, terrorists try to silence society," he said. "This is what doubles the importance of what Spanish journalists and Basque journalists are doing – the entire profession should be proud of them."

And he added: "Terrorism will never be able to serve a just cause. I repeat: Terrorism will be be able to serve a just cause."