By Reuters Staff
3 Min Read
LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal’s doors are open to tourists, the country’s Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said on Friday, one of the first European countries to welcome back visitors from elsewhere in the continent.
FILE PHOTO: A tourist wearing a protective mask as a preventive measure against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) walks at Augusta street in downtown Lisbon, Portugal March 20, 2020. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante/File Photo
“Tourists are welcome in Portugal,” Santos Silva told newspaper Observador, explaining that some health checks will be introduced at airports but there will be no compulsory quarantine for those flying in.
Thursday, 07 Jan 2021 07:19 PM MYT
In a breakthrough against protectionism around the world, the EU agreed in June 2019 to create a free-trade area of 700 million people with South American trade bloc Mercosur, which is made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela and Uruguay. Reuters pic
Subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on news you need to know.
BRUSSELS, Jan 7 EU chair Portugal said today it would try to conclude a free-trade treaty between the European Union and the South American bloc Mercosur that was agreed in 2019 after two decades of talks but has still not been finalised.
Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said his country, which assumed the EU’s six-month rotating presidency on January 1, needed to make progress because failure would damage the reputation of the EU, the world’s largest trading bloc.
| UPDATED: 11:22, Sun, Jan 17, 2021
Link copied Sign up for FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again
SUBSCRIBE Invalid email
When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.
And the news is certain to focus attention on Mrs von der Leyen’s controversial decision to travel to the country for talks which could have taken place by video conference. Mr Leao has tested positive for the coronavirus, his office said on Saturday, a day after he took part in an in-person meeting in the country’s capital with top EU officials including the European Commission President herself.
The U.K.’s transportation chief says the government banned travel from South America and Portugal to ensure a new variant of COVID-19 found in Brazil doesn’t derail Britain’s vaccination program, although there are no signs the variant has reached the U.K. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the ban, which took effect Friday morning, was extended to Portugal because many people who come to Europe from South America travel through Portugal