European Patent Office (EPO) Series: The Brotherhood of São Bento
Part 5
The Palácio São Bento – or São Bento Palace – is the seat of
the Portuguese National Assembly in Lisbon. We plan to take a
closer look at some members of the Portuguese political
establishment – the "Brotherhood of São Bento" – who could play a
decisive role in the efforts of António Campinos to secure
reappointment as President of the EPO.
In the last part we saw how António Costa made a remarkable political comeback following his sudden resignation as Portuguese Prime Minister in November 2023.
In the upcoming parts we will take a detour into the world of domestic Portuguese politics in an effort to explain how the "Brotherhood of São Bento" – by which we mean the Portuguese political establishment – is likely to play a decisive role in the efforts of António Campinos to secure reappointment for a third term as President of the EPO.
For the sake of readers who are not overly familiar with Portugal, it is worth mentioning that the Palácio São Bento – or São Bento Palace – is the seat of the National Assembly (Parliament) in Lisbon.
The official residence of the Prime Minister of Portugal known as the Palacete de São Bento – or São Bento Mansion – is an elegant neo-classical mansion located in the Palace grounds.
The official residence of the Prime Minister of Portugal – an
elegant neo-classical mansion known as the Palacete de São Bento
(São Bento Mansion) - is located in the grounds of the São Bento
Palace.
In our upcoming exploration of the Portuguese political landscape, the focus of our attention will be on two specific individuals and their respective party political affiliations, namely:
• António Costa, the former Prime Minister of Portugal and current President of the European Council, who is the former Secretary-General of the Portuguese Socialist Party or Partido Socialista (PS); and
• Luís Montenegro, the current Prime Minister of Portugal, who is the leader of the Social Democratic Party or Partido Social Democrata (PSD).
These two individuals are "persons of interest" for the purposes of our investigation because they currently occupy positions which enable them to play decisive roles in supporting António Campinos in his EPO reappointment bid.
After we have concluded our foray into the volatile and turbulent world of domestic Portuguese politics, we will explain why António Campinos needs the support of the "Brotherhood of São Bento" in order to secure his reappointment as President of the European Patent Office.
Stay tuned for more coming up soon... █
Previously: