The Portugal Seafood Conference took place on September 24 at the Altis Grand Hotel in Lisbon, bringing together representatives from Seafood Europe, business association leaders from about 20 European countries, MEPs, economists and political and institutional officials to discuss the competitiveness of the European seafood industry in a world undergoing profound transformation. This was the first time the conference was held in Portugal with this level of European representation, an initiative of ALIF – National Association of the Refrigeration Industry and Food Product Trade, integrated into the Portugal Seafood International Business Platform 2026.
The opening session was led by Manuel Tarré, president of ALIF, followed by interventions by Paulo Macedo, CEO of Caixa Geral de Depósitos and former Minister of Health and Director-General of Taxes, who addressed business competitiveness and growth, and by Audun Lem, Chairman of the FiTI International Board and former Deputy Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division at FAO, on the role of aquatic foods in global food security.
The first debate panel focused on supply, markets and internationalization of the European seafood industry, with the participation of Ricardo Alves (CEO of Riberalves), Manuel Ramirez (director of Fábrica de Conservas Ramirez), Guus Pastoor (president of Seafood Europe) and Peter Bamberger (president of the Danish Fish Association), moderated by Lídia Tarré. This was followed by the intervention of Costas Kadi, European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, on European priorities for resilient, sustainable and competitive seafood value chains.
A second panel brought together MEPs André Franqueira Rodrigues and Paulo Nascimento Cabral, Sérgio Reis (CEO of Brasmar) and Luís Campos e Cunha (economist and former Minister of Finance), moderated by Luís Sousa, director of ALIF, to discuss the relationship between public policy, regulation and competitiveness. The conference concluded with the conclusions of Seafood Europe Lisbon 2026, presented by Luís Sousa and Guus Pastoor, and a closing session with the planned participation of a representative of the Government of Portugal.
