Lisbon, Jan. 1, 2021 (Lusa) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday she was "looking forward" to working with Prime Minister António Costa during the presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), which Portugal took over today.

In a message published on her official Twitter account, Von der Leyen first of all congratulated German Chancellor Angela Merkel on her work over the past six months in which the German Presidency has seen its agenda occupied with the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Thank you, dear Angela Merkel and @EU2020DE for taking the EU forward over the past 6 months, in such a challenging year." Von der Leyen began.

"Good luck @antoniocostapm and @2021PortugalEU, I’m looking forward to working with you, for the recovery of Europe and the health of our citizens" she added, identifying both leaders in the same message.

On Thursday, the President of the European Council also published a message on the same social network thanking the German Chancellor and her EU Council Presidency for their "extraordinary work" in a "special" context, also recalling the pandemic.

"Welcome, António Costa. I count on our cooperation to move the EU forward into a post-covid era", said Charles Michel in a message written in Portuguese and German, in which he identified Prime Minister António Costa and the German Chancellor.

The President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, also wished the Portuguese Prime Minister success today in his Presidency of the Council of the European Union by expressing his willingness to "work together" in European recovery.

Today Portugal takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, succeeding Germany, which has worked over the last six months to respond to the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

This will be the fourth Portuguese Presidency of the EU, after 1992, 2000 and 2007, and will run for the first half of 2021, before the Slovenian Presidency, which starts in the second half of the same year.

BYC/ADB // ADB.

Lusa