Portugal wanted to put its presidency under the sign of social Europe, but the health situation in the Union has reshuffled the cards.

Indeed "the priority of priorities is the revival" for Augusto Santos Silva, Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, who insists on the fact that we must "improve our health response" and "also accelerate the process of vaccination of our population because it is a necessary condition for recovery ".

Portugal, rather spared by the first wave of the pandemic, is now "one of the European countries most affected by the British mutation of the virus" because of "very close relations with the United Kingdom".

He does not, however, deny "the effect of the Christmas holidays", but asserts that the decision to close schools for 15 days "to prevent the spread of the virus" will improve the situation and ensure that " spring things calm down ".

"You don't administer 1 billion vaccines in an instant"

According to forecasts, 70% of adults in Europe should be vaccinated by the end of August.

But many doubt it, pointing to the slowness of vaccination or an insufficient number of doses ordered by the European Commission.

Augusto Santos Silva refutes these criticisms and recalls that the Commission has ordered "One billion vaccines for 460 million European residents".

He stresses that "in the majority of Member States there is a certain anxiety because everyone wants to be vaccinated as soon as possible" and calls on the population to be patient, because "we do not produce 1 billion vaccines in one instant and one does not administer 1 billion vaccines in an instant ".

Augusto Santos Silva thus asks to "preserve all the restrictive measures, all the health protection measures while the vaccination is being done."

He also regrets Hungary's choice to call on Russia and its Sputnik V vaccine and warns them of "negative consequences for Hungary itself", recalling that "the joint purchasing process of the whole 'Europe has been a decisive element for the effectiveness of our vaccination in all Member States ". 

"We expect Joe Biden to talk about digital taxation without aggressiveness"

While Joe Biden has just been sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, the Portuguese Foreign Minister recalls that "the rule is a very good dialogue between Europe and the United States, including on difficult topics and at this level, the Trump administration has been the exception. "

He therefore hopes to resume a calm dialogue with the new administration, including on "the taxation of large technological, digital and commercial companies" and this "in a less aggressive manner".

Asked about the controversial investment agreement between Europe and China, he stressed that it is still an "agreement in principle" on which "we must work with the necessary analytical depth" and that "the Portuguese Presidency will do it with the Commission and the European Parliament to make things clear ".

Augusto Santos Silva also discusses the arrest of Russian opponent Alexei Navalny, whose European Union "has already called for the release and respect for his fundamental rights" because "there is no democracy, there is no There is no rule of law if we do not respect the fundamental rights of individuals, if we do not allow the opposition to express itself "and ensures that we are waiting for" a positive response from Moscow ".

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