About: Portuguese Presidency
MEPs want COVID-19 restrictions standardised across Europe
European lawmakers have called on the EU to build upon the digital vaccination certificate as a major step forward in facilitating movement within the bloc during the pandemic by harmonising criteria for the imposition of coronavirus restrictions across member states.
Diplomat: Portuguese presidency unblocked EU legislative dossiers
The Portuguese presidency of the Council of the EU has moved forward many legislative dossiers forward, even some that had been blocked for years, according to the the deputy permanent representative of Portugal to the EU, Pedro Lourtie.
EU countries facing common challenges on e-governance, says Portuguese minister
European governments are facing similar problems in terms of the ethical use of technology, ageing public servants and the need to attract young talent to public administration, Portugal's public administration minister has told EURACTIV.
Creative Europe programme to provide €2.5bn funding for culture sector
European Commissioner for Innovation and Research, Mariya Gabriel, has said that the Creative Europe 2021-2027 programme will focus on the "economic sustainability" and the "digital inclusion" of the cultural and creative sectors by funding projects for specific challenges.
EU health ministers back stronger pandemic role for EMA
EU health ministers have met for the last time under Portugal’s presidency of the Council of the EU to agree on that body’s postition for negotiations with the European Parliament on new rules to strengthen the role of the European...
Brussels in balancing act to gain EU support for battery regulation
The European Commission’s proposed battery regulation was alternatively branded too ambitious or too restricting at a meeting of EU environment ministers Thursday (11 June), highlighting the gap between the 27 member states on the issue.
Russia’s Lavrov blames the West for ‘shutting Russia out’
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has blamed the European Union for having suspended “the mutually beneficial architecture of cooperation” and for pushing to “shut Russia out,” following a meeting with his Portuguese counterpart Augusto Santos Silva in Moscow.
Commission: EU future debate should focus on ‘genuine people’ not ‘Brussels bubble’
Margaritis Schinas, European Commission Vice-President for the Promotion of the European Way of Life, has underlined that the Future of Europe conference should focus on the "genuine people" and not the "Brussels bubble".
Council adopts changes to visa system in a bid to boost security
EU member states have approved changes to the European visa system aimed at increasing security in the Schengen area by providing for greater monitoring of short-stay and residence permits.
Portugal’s contribution to the European Digital Agenda
Digital transformation of the way Europeans live and do business is one of the priorities of the Portuguese EU Council presidency, which ends on 30 June. To find out how much has been achieved, and what Portugal's successor, Slovenia, should pursue, EURACTIV spoke to Hugo Santos Mendes, Portugal's deputy minister for communications.
Europe stands out among global players in sharing vaccines
The EU is ready to discuss concrete proposals on the suspension of patents on vaccines against COVID-19, but until then has been acting like no other global actor, Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva has said.
EU ministers in search of consensus on sustainable tourism
Portugal's secretary of state for tourism hopes that a high-level forum on Friday (14 May) will resolve "two major concerns": the commitment of member states to sustainable tourism and funding lines for this transformation.
Juncker: If Costa can’t succeed at social summit, no one can
Jean-Claude Juncker believes that Portugal will be able to achieve concrete results at the Porto Social Summit, commenting that if Prime Minister António Costa is not successful, "no one will be, because he is one of the best".
Schmit hopes for agreement on EU minimum wages by June
Member states will hopefully reach a common position on the definition of EU minimum wages before the end of Portugal’s presidency of the Council, which runs until June, European Commissioner for employment, Nicolas Schmit, told Lusa.pt, highlighting the “efforts” made...
‘Act without delay’ to help EU tourism, Portugal urges
Portugal has urged member states and EU institutions to "act without delay" to support European tourism to recover from the crisis, also calling for rapid progress in the creation of the green passport.
Worker advocates call for more ‘democracy at work’ ahead of Porto Summit
Trade unions and other labour supporters are continuing their push for greater worker involvement in company decisions, now labelling this as an effort for “more democracy at work.” They want to see this topic play a larger role on the...
Portugal to approve strategy for boosting inclusion of disabled
Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa has announced that at the end of this month the government will approve a national strategy for the inclusion of people with disabilities, which will include measures to support employment and improve accessibility.
Lisbon, New Delhi expect to restart EU-India talks in May
Portugal has said it hopes to resume negotiations on trade and investment between the EU and India at a summit between EU leaders and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Porto on 8 May.
Ireland: EU-Mercosur trade deal ‘unlikely’ during Portuguese presidency
Ireland considers it "unlikely" that the EU-Mercosur trade agreement will be concluded during the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union and insists on guarantees that deforestation of the Amazon will be halted.
EU Presidency: AstraZeneca vaccine decisions ‘affect everyone’
The Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union on Wednesday warned member states that individual decisions affected everyone regarding the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, involved in risks of blood clots, calling for the most coordinated position possible among the 27. A statement issued after the...
EU social summit offers prospect to move ‘from principles to action’, presidency says
Portugal's Secretary of State for European affairs, Ana Paula Zacarias, assured Lusa on Tuesday that there is a prospect of moving "from principles to action" at the planned Social Summit of the European Union to be held next month in Porto, which is to be a centrepiece of the country's six-month presidency of the Council of the EU.
Commissioner supports modernising, expanding EU railways
European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reform Elisa Ferreira has expressed her support for expanding railways in the European Union, calling for investment in modernisation and regional connections.
Portuguese EU Presidency vows to adopt new Erasmus+ in June
Portugal's minister of education, Tiago Brandão Rodrigues, has welcomed the European Commission's launch of its proposed Erasmus+ exchange programme for the period 2021-2027, pledging to work towards its formal adoption and announcing its official launch on 18 June in Viana do Castelo, in northern Portugal.