Brussels, Jan. 18, 2021 (Lusa) - Portugal's minister of state and finance, João Leão, is to chair a meeting of the European Union's economic and financial affairs council (Ecofin) from Lisbon on Tuesday, despite being in quarantine after he on Saturday tested positive for the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19.

Although the meeting is to be held by videoconference, due to the serious epidemiological situation, Leão had planned to chair what will be his first Ecofin meeting of Portugal's EU Council presidency from Brussels. That is not now possible due to his having testd positive.

The minister is, however, still said to be capable of overseeing the proceedings, since he is asymptomatic and continues to work from home, according to a statement from the Ministry of Finance, released on Saturday.

Three members of the European Commission are self-isolating after being in close contact with Leão during the traditional inaugural visit by a European Commission delegation to Lisbon on Friday to launch Portugal's six-month presidency.

One of those isolating is Valdis Dombrovskis, one of the three vice-Presidents, who has the economy portfolio and who will thus also participate in Tuesday's virtual Ecofin.

The other commissioners isolating due to their being considered to be at risk are Margrethe Vestager (Digital policy), also a vice-president, and the commissioner from Portugal, Elisa Ferreira (Cohesion and Reforms).

The Ecofin meeting is to start with a presentation of the presidency's work programme for the area of economic and financial affairs. The main priority for the first half of the year has long been known: the implementation of the Multiannual Financial Framework and the 'Next Generation EU' recovery instrument, including the approval of the 27 EU member states' national recovery and resilience plans.

The 27 are then to discuss the action plan presented by the Commission in December to combat bad debt in the context of the crisis caused by the pandemic, as well as the conclusions of the latest report of macro-economic imbalances in member states, in the framework of the EU's economic and budgetary policy coordination semester.

The agenda for the meeting also includes an update on another of the main priorities of the EU and Portugal's presidency: the implementation of the €750 billion recovery instrument.

At the end of the meeting, Leão and Dombrovskis are to report on the outcome of this first formal ministerial meeting of Portugal's fourth presidency of the EU Council, which began on 1 January and is to run until 30 June.

ACC/ARO // ARO.

Lusa