Lisbon, Jan. 12, 2021 (Lusa) - The director of CONCORD Europe regretted on Tuesday the "lack of leadership" shown by the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) in relation to the establishment of a post-Covid-19 world order.

Tanya Cox was speaking at a videoconference organised by the Portuguese Platform of Non-Governmental Organisations for Development (NGDO Platform), which was also attended by the secretary of state for foreign affairs and cooperation, Francisco André, and Renaud Savignat, from the Office of the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen.

The director of CONCORD Europe (European Confederation of Humanitarian Action and Development NGOs) began by criticising the 'slogan' of the Portuguese presidency - "Time to act: for a just, green and digital recovery" - which reflects Portugal's priorities for the next six months of the presidency of the Council of the EU.

"If I had heard this before the emergence of Covid-19, I would not have found it strange, as it reflects the European Commission's priorities for its five-year term. But when I hear those priorities, the same priorities almost a year after Covid-19 overwhelmed the world, I have to say that they seem out of line," Tanya Cox said.

According to the British director, it is not that the Portuguese priorities "are unimportant, but they lack recognition of the negative way Covid-19 has affected people around the world.

"I wonder why the biggest challenge of the Portuguese presidency is not really understanding how to address the issue of recovery in the digital and climate transition? Because recovery is going to be the keyword", she stressed, recalling that "the main impacts of Covid-19 have not yet been noticed".

Cox said the programme the presidency of the Council of the EU presented "does not provide an answer to the crisis" as she had hoped. Moreover, the director hoped to see "more leadership".

"For example, she hoped that the Portuguese presidency would do more to rebuild relations with our transatlantic partner, the United States of America, given the importance of geopolitics and political competition," she said.

"I expected the presidency to propose EU leadership to respond to the current leadership vacuum in the international arena in order to make better use of the tension between the US and China," she added.

The director, who took office at CONCORD in 2018, believes that "this is the moment when the EU can design the post-covid world for the better. "I am sure that Africa and Latin America would be very dedicated partners in this ambition. It is time to look outward, not inward," she said.

Cox also regretted that the programme of the Portuguese presidency of the EU did not emphasise human development.

"Without well-nourished, healthy and educated people around the world, we can invest all the money we want in digitisation, but it will be a waste if it only benefits the small percentage of the world's richest," she said.

Finally, the director called on the Portuguese presidency to "put people at the centre of its programme" and "show leadership in shaping post-covid world order.

The European Commission's representative in Portugal, Sofia Colares Alves said that "people are at the centre of the concern of the green and digital transition" that occupies the agenda of the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the EU.

Alves agreed that "the work of the European Commission and the Portuguese presidency will be greatly shaped by the response to the health crisis and the economic crisis", but recalled that the "Next Generation EU", together with the new EU budget for 2021-2027, is "an unprecedented package".

"We now have the money to make things happen, to minimise the economic impact that this crisis is having on all the economies of the European Union", she stressed.

"This financial package is very important to take the next step and to be more resilient in future crises. And that is why it is so important to talk about green and digital transitions. The other issues have not ceased to be priorities, [...] but we need our investment to be made smart in terms of sustainability and in digital terms, in order to bridge the huge gap in digital training for all citizens," she said, recalling that "Portugal is a country that suffers greatly from this.

The European Commission's representative in Portugal stressed that "the presidency has underlined this, not only to make the public administration more efficient, to have warmer homes for the Portuguese and to create a 'wave of renewal', but to train people".

"It is very important that people who are now unemployed can reconvert and find work more easily", she said.

The project 'For an open, fair and sustainable Europe in the world', released today at the virtual seminar, presents the lines of action for the Portuguese presidency of the EU identified by around 100 civil society organisations.

BYC/ADB // ADB.

Lusa