Portugal officially assumes rotating presidency of EU
By
Saturday Jan 02, 2021
A photo taken on New Year s Eve, December 31, 2020 shows Berlin s landmark Brandenburg Gate illuminated to mark the end of Germany’s EU presidency. AFP/File
Portugal has officially assumed the rotating presidency of the EU
The EU will specifically focus on COVID-19 vaccination and reducing the socio-economic impact of the pandemic
Brexit will also remain on top of the agency for EU in coming six months
MADRID: Portugal has officially assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of European Union (EU) on Friday, with a motto of “a fair, green and digital recovery”.
Portugal assumes EU s rotating presidency for six months
World
Sat, Jan 02, 2021
A photo taken on New Year s Eve, December 31, 2020 shows Berlin s landmark Brandenburg Gate illuminated to mark the end of Germany’s EU presidency. AFP/File
MADRID: Portugal officially assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of European Union (EU) on Friday, with a motto of “a fair, green and digital recovery”.
The COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit will be the main agenda of the EU for the next six months under Portugal’s presidency, taking over from Germany.
The EU will specifically focus on COVID-19 vaccination and reducing the socio-economic impact of the pandemic.
Portugal Takes Over Rotating EU Presidency
COVID 19 vaccination, relations with UK, regional developments to be on EU agenda in 2021. Portugal officially assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of European Union on Friday, Jan. 1, with a motto of a fair, green and digital recovery .
The COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit will be the main agenda of the EU for the next six months under Portugal s presidency, taken over from Germany.
The EU will specifically focus on COVID-19 vaccination and reducing the socio-economic impact of the pandemic. The outcome of the Brexit agreement will also be on the 27-member bloc s agenda as the new trade deal between London and Brussels will be implemented in 2021.
Portugal’s Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva is hoping the first tranche of EU recovery fund will reach member states “in the first half of 2021”, saying Portugal aims to reach the end of its EU Council presidency with “all national plans approved”.
The complex process of ratifying the increase in the own-resources ceiling – which is essential for the European budget for 2021-2027 to come into force – should be “as short as possible,” Santos Silva told Lusa in an interview. This is to fulfill the objective of completing the presidency with the multi-annual financial framework (MFF) already implemented.
“We hope that in the first half of the year there can be such an advance of 10%” of the EU Recovery and Resilience Fund, the foreign minister said about the first tranche of the total amount each member state is to receive from the mechanism that aims to relaunch European economies after the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.