The President of the Republic said this Friday that, in the meeting with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said that he “expects a lot” from the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), because there is a fight against the pandemic to continue and “many fronts” to follow, from America to India.

“Like all Europeans, we expect a lot from the vaccination effort and the fight against the pandemic. [Ursula von der Leyen] He hopes very much - and we all hope - that the regulation of the Multiannual Financial Framework will be swift and reach everywhere, ”said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

The President also assured, at a press conference, that he heard from Ursula von der Leyen, “praise for the Portuguese position, the beginning of the EU presidency and the Government's predisposition” led by António Costa.

“It will be a very busy semester, a very difficult presidency. There is still the social summit, the summit with India, the meetings with Africa, the resumption of the relationship now in the new phase of American political life. There are many fronts at the same time ”, he explained to journalists, after meetings with the president of the European Commission and with the Portuguese Tiago Guerra, acquitted by the Timorese Court of Appeal of a conviction for the crime of embezzlement.

“It is essential to overcome the pandemic (vaccination is crucial) and to unlock the money. Unlock the one that is easiest, that does not involve all countries, but also that that involves all countries ”, explained the President, also referring to the importance of the recovery and resilience plan and the start of the conference on the future of Europe.