European Commission promises cooperation to Portuguese EU presidency

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wished Portugal success and promised her cooperation during the presidency this semester of the Council of the European Union (EU). Very happy to meet Prime Minister Antonio Costa in Lisbon, von der Leyen wrote on his Twitter account to refer to the one-day meeting between a small delegation from the College of Commissioners and the Portuguese executive. Likewise, he expressed his certainty that he will be able to count on Costa's experience and dedication to fulfill the Lisbon objectives during his six-month presidency, until June 30. The plenary meeting focused on the five main themes of the fourth Portuguese presidency: Resilient Europe, Social Europe, Green Europe, Digital Europe and Global Europe. In addition, issues of concern for the EU such as migration and health were discussed, specifically vaccination as part of the confrontation of the Covid-19 pandemic. As part of the program advanced to the press, von der Leyen led the meeting with Costa at the Belém Cultural Center, then spoke with President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and ended with a working dinner. Along with von der Leyen were the three Executive Vice Presidents Frans Timmermans (European Ecological Pact), Valdis Dombrovskis (An Economy at the Service of People) and Margrethe Vestager (A Europe Adapted to the Digital Age), and the Vice President and High Representative of the EU for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell. The Commissioners for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira, for Social Affairs Nicolas Schmit, for Promotion of the European Way of Life Margaritis Schinas and for Interinstitutional and Prospective Relations Maros Sefcovic also participated. Several ministers participated from the Portuguese side, including the Foreign Business Minister Augusto Santos Silva. The Portuguese presidency officially began on the 5th with the stay in Lisbon of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.