“Cooperation between Cape Verde, the European Union and NATO: current institutional scenarios and future perspectives” is one of two projects from the Center for Cape Verdean Studies in Portugal, which has brought Fátima Monteiro, a researcher in the area of international relations, to Cape Verde.

Fátima Monteiro will be in Cape Verde to consult documentation and gather data that could in one way or another indicate the direction the country intends to move regarding Europe, within a prospective vision of partnerships.

According to the investigator, the project is currently in a more historic first phase, in which an analysis of the history of relations between Cape Verde and the European Union will be carried out. “We will then proceed with the survey of a number of hypotheses regarding the path Cape Verde should follow regarding the EU. Based on what I’ve gathered so far, there are a number of clauses, namely regarding the free circulation of people and goods, with promising perspectives, as the country moves closer to Europe,” explains Monteiro.

Despite her reluctance to give too much away on the subject, the researcher says she believes Cape Verde has all that is necessary to enter into the circuit of countries that are a part of Europe’s neighbor policy.

For the second phase of the project, a series of interviews with various different European Union organs and entities is planned.

Monteiro believes that, through a scientific work methodology, it may be possible to outline more advanced intervention policies on the level of foreign policy.

Investigation - a passion discovered by chance

A native of the island of Santo Antão, Fátima Monteiro is one of the founders of the Center for Cape Verdean Studies, created in Portugal in 2005.

When she was only three years old, she moved with her parents to Mozambique, where she attended elementary and preparatory school. Later, she returned to Cape Verde, more precisely to the island of Santiago, where she attended Gil Eneas high school. “At the time, I had the opportunity to absorb a lot of the local culture,” said the investigator.

But before finishing high school, she once again moved to Mozambique, where she finished her secondary school studies. Two years after independence, Lisbon was her next challenge - she attended university, where she earned a degree in Modern Languages and Literature, with a concentration in English and German.

After she earned her bachelor’s degree, she entered a recruitment program at the Cape Verdean Embassy to provide assistance on a number of dossiers. Later, she was transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Praia.

Monteiro found it hard to adapt to island life, and immigrated to the United States, where she earned her master’s degree and doctorate in Portuguese Studies, with an eye to Africa’s Portuguese-speaking nations. “In my work, I always try to make the connection and study relations between the former Portuguese colonies and Europe, with a focus on Angola and Cape Verde.”

Although her initial training was in the area of literature and languages, since she earned her doctorate she has sought to delve into theoretical and critical conceptualization in the field of the social sciences, specifically with regards to international relations.

At the moment, she is a visiting researcher at Harvard University’s Center of European Studies as a part of a project on Cape Verde and the EU.