Portugal to prioritise vaccination, economic recovery during EU Presidency

Lisbon, Jan 2 : Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said that priorities during his country’s presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) would be the “success of the vaccination” against the novel coronavirus and the “economic and social recovery of Europe”.
On Friday, Portugal assumed the Presidency of the EU Council for the fourth time, reports Xinhua news agency.
“For the next six months, Portugal will be at the helm of the European Union (EU),” he said on Twitter on Friday, stressing the motto of the Portuguese presidency — “Time to deliver: a fair, green and digital recovery”.
According to the Portuguese head of government, Europe’s economic and social recovery will be “based on the drivers of climate and digital transitions”, and that to implement the “European Pillar of Social Rights of the EU, no one will be left behind”.
The third of the priorities Costa announced is to reinforce the “strategic autonomy of a European Union open to the world”.
“It is therefore time to act together as a community of values and shared prosperity,” concluded Costa in his first official message as Portugal assumed the presidency of the Council of the EU.