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  • 15-01-2021 11:44

EU/Presidency: European Commission visit marks 'important day' for Portugal


Lisbon, Jan. 15, 2021 - Portugal's prime minister, António Costa, welcomed a delegation from the European Commission in Lisbon on Friday, led by President Ursula von der Leyen, on a "very important day" for the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU).

"Today is a very important day which marks the beginning of our presidency. We welcome the College of Commissioners to work together on the priorities of the Portuguese programme," António Costa wrote on his official Twitter account.

The prime minister said, "this is really the time to act: for a fair, green and digital recovery".

The European Commission arrived today at the Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon at 10:15 a.m. for its traditional visit to the country which holds the rotating six-month presidency of the EU Council and which has been chaired by Portugal since 1 January.

The programme of the visit includes a working session with the Portuguese government, including a bilateral meeting between Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister António Costa, bilateral and thematic group meetings between the other Commissioners and members of the Portuguese government and a plenary meeting.

The working sessions will focus on the different priorities of the Portuguese programme, namely the five main themes of the fourth Portuguese presidency - Resilient Europe, Social Europe, Green Europe, Digital Europe, and Global Europe - but also, more specifically, on key issues at the moment of the EU, such as migration and health.

Commissioner Margaritis Schinas, responsible for promoting a European way of life, also used Twitter to report on her arrival in "beautiful Lisbon".

"I look forward to discussing migration and security with Minister Eduardo Cabrita and Marta Temido on the European Health Union and vaccination strategy in the EU," Schinasw rote, referring to the Ministers of the Interior and Health respectively.

Given the Covid-19 pandemic, the visit by the college of the European Commission is taking place in a reduced format, with President Von der Leyen leading a delegation of eight Commissioners rather than the entire EU executive, and with the programme reduced to one day instead of the usual two.

Ursula Von der Leyen arrived at the Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon, accompanied by the three Executive Vice-Presidents, Frans Timmermans (responsible for the European Ecological Pact portfolio), Valdis Dombrovskis (An Economy at the Service of People) and Margrethe Vestager (Digital), and the EU Vice-President and High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell.

The delegation also includes Portuguese Commissioner Elisa Ferreira (Cohesion and Reforms), and Commissioners Nicolas Schmit, who is responsible for Social Affairs, one of the main priorities of the Portuguese presidency, Margaritis Schinas (Promoting a European way of life) and Maros Sefcovic (Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight).

BYC/ADB// ADB.

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