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Ambassador J. E. Luís de Almeida Sampaio came to the University of West Bohemia for the second time this year, yet this time at the invitation of the Faculty of Arts. Other distinguished guests included Consul José Riço, attaché for education and culture Gilda Machado and the representative of the Portuguese embassy to the Pilsner and South-Bohemian region António Laurel. The delegation was accompanied by Jaroslav Svejkovský; the future honorary consul of Portugal in the Pilsner region.

Representing the University of West Bohemia at the lecture by the Portuguese ambassador were the rector of UWB Miroslav Holeček, the dean of the Faculty of Arts David Šanc and the director of the Institute of Applied Languages Jana Čepičková. Additionally, several headmasters of regional high schools in Pilsen and the town of Rokycany, plus tens of students of UWB and high schools attended the lecture as well.

During his lecture the Portuguese ambassador emphasised similarities between the Czech Republic and Portugal given their being medium-sized European countries, as well as differences in their respective historical development and in their past and present socio-economic situations. Toward the end of the lecture and during the discussion with students he stressed the many benefits the European Youth exchange program Erasmus has for advancing the mutual contacts of the young generation within European countries, and for boosting students’ language competences. He also mentioned the pitfalls of populism in European countries, and drew students’ attention to expert literature on the topics discussed.  

After the lecture and the subsequent discussion the delegation of the Portuguese embassy had a meeting with the rector of UWB Miroslav Holeček, the dean of the Faculty of Arts David Šanc and with the director of the Institute of Applied Languages Jana Čepičková at the deanery of the Faculty of Arts.

Thanks to cooperation with the Embassy of the Portuguese Republic the tuition of Portuguese at the Institute of Applied Languages will be resumed for all students from all faculties of the UWB. The director of the Institute Jana Čepičková added that they plan to offer a one week intensive course of Portuguese to both UWB students as well as the public as part of the International Summer Language School. In this context, Mrs. Gilda Machado and Mr. António Laurel will continue cooperating with the University of West Bohemia with the aim of expanding the tuition of Portuguese at Czech universities, and they will also promote intensive courses of Czech at Portuguese universities as well as among Portuguese communities living in the Czech Republic. The dean of the Faculty of Arts David Šanc stated that the courses of Portuguese would be recommended primarily to students of the bachelor program Foreign Languages for Commercial Purposes. Rector Miroslav Holeček remarked that cooperation in the field of science as part of joint projects of the UWB and Portuguese universities would also receive endorsement.

Mrs. Gilda Machado and Mr. António Laurel will continue cooperating with the University of West Bohemia with the aim of expanding the tuition of Portuguese at Czech universities, and they will also promote intensive courses of Czech at Portuguese universities as well as among Portuguese communities living in the Czech Republic. Such courses are annually offered by the Institute of Applied Languages during the International Summer Language School