A SPECIAL delegation of Members of the European Parliament will be visiting Lisbon from May 2 to 4 to link up with government ministers ahead of Portugal assuming the Presidency of the European Council in July.
Speaking from Brussels ahead of the visit, our special Parliamentary correspondent Philip Bushill-Matthews MEP who will be a member of the delegation, commented: “There will be around a dozen members of the Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee – MEPs from all political parties – all keen to exchange views with the incoming Presidency and to help determine the priorities for the next six months.
“The programme includes a session with members of the Employment & Social Security Committee of the Assembleia da República, a meeting with the Minister for Labour and Social Solidarity, Sr José Vieira da Silva, followed by separate discussions with the CGTP-Intersindical, the CIP and UGT.”
He added that MEPs are expecting “great things” from the Portuguese Presidency: the President of the European Commission is from Portugal and the current ambition of the Commission is to deliver the so-called Lisbon Agenda – as agreed by all Member States in Lisbon in 2000. “The new Council Presidency provides Portugal with a golden opportunity to build on its leadership to date, and secure a real legacy in terms of shaping the future of the European Union,” he said.
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