On 27 January, Portugal's Prime Minister António Costa presented the priorities of his country's presidency of the EU at the EESC plenary. Portugal has pushed the social agenda to the top of its presidency's programme and asked the EESC to provide its expertise on seven key topics for the EU's future.

Under the motto "Time to deliver: a fair, green and digital recovery", the presidency will focus on three major priorities: promoting a recovery leveraged by the climate and digital transitions; implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights; and strengthening Europe's autonomy whilst remaining open to the world.

"These priorities resonate perfectly with the priorities of our Committee: we are advocating an EU that prospers economically and is socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable," said EESC President Christa Schweng.

"The fight against the COVID-19 pandemic has proved the added value that our European Union represents. The start of the vaccination process on the one hand and the approval of the MFF and the Next Generation EU programme on the other have opened the door to hope and given new meaning to the word 'community'," Mr Costa emphasised.

The central event of the Portuguese Presidency will be the Social Summit, scheduled to take place in Porto on 7 May.

"Its main objective is to give a strong political impetus to the Action Plan that the Commission will present in March and to implement the EU Pillar of Social Rights, the best vaccine against social inequality, populism and fear," he stressed.

The Prime Minister also said that to achieve this fundamental objective, the Portuguese Presidency was counting on the key contribution and active participation of the EESC. The presidency has asked the EESC to provide its expertise on seven key topics for the EU's future. (mr)