2021-04-28 02:05:44 GMT2021-04-28 10:05:44(Beijing Time) Xinhua English LISBON, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese presidency of the European Union (EU) on Tuesday urged member states to "act without delay" to save European tourism from the COVID-19 crisis by speeding up a digital health passport scheme. "The COVID-19 crisis put the sector under strong economic pressure and had a particularly serious impact on small- and medium-sized companies, which constitute the vast majority of companies active in tourism," said Portugal's Secretary of State for European Affairs Ana Paula Zacarias on behalf of the Portuguese EU presidency. It is important "to provide the necessary financial support to alleviate the lack of liquidity of many tourist companies, to avoid major job losses and to help the sector out of recession," she said in a plenary session of the European Parliament.