Lisbon, Jan. 12, 2021 (Lusa) - The speaker of the Portuguese parliament on Tuesday questioned the need to strengthen the European Commission's agenda for 2021, since "the pandemic situation was much better" when the programme was presented.

"To what extent [must we] strengthen the measures contained in the programme?", Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues asked at the opening session of the hearing on the European Commission's Work Programme for 2021, addressing the European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira.

Ferro Rodrigues, who chaired the hearing in parliament, said that the priorities of the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) are in line with the Commission's programme, particularly as regards a resilient, green, digital, social and global Europe.

The strategic objectives of the EU bloc's agenda for 2021 also acquire a "great affinity" with those of the trio of presidencies of Germany, Portugal and Slovenia, defined in June 2020, he added.

According to the speaker of the Portuguese parliament, the European Commission's agenda should be seen as "an instrument to bring about change", through "the development of conscious policies that have an impact on citizens' lives", whether in the area of the ecological or digital transition or in the area of institution building.

Ferro Rodrigues earlier called on the Portuguese parliament to assume "responsibility for ensuring the parliamentary dimension of the presidency and the implementation of its priorities".

"Circumstances demand of all of our responsibility, capacity and, in these days, lucidity", he concluded, calling for a response to the current challenges that bring citizens closer to the European project.

The annual hearing aims to discuss European initiatives by Portuguese Members of the European Parliament, the Portuguese parliament and the Madeira and Azores regional parliaments.

JAYG/ADB // ADB.

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