Portuguese EU Presidency

Last updated on Tuesday, 26/01/2021

It will preside over the Council of the European Union until June 2021.

As of 1 January 2021 Portugal holds the EU Presidency for the next 6 months. Their key priorities under the motto “Time to deliver: for a fair, green and digital recovery” are: 

• To promote Europe's recovery, leveraged by the climate and digital transitions

• To implement the Social Pillar of the European Union as a key element for ensuring a fair and inclusive climate and digital transition

• To strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy keeping it open to the world

More specifically the Portuguese presidency ambitions in the youth and education field are:

• To promote a rights-based approach to youth policies, involving young people in decision-making processes and governance platforms, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027;
• To emphasise the importance of youth mobility to education policies. Giving priority to the launch of the Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps programmes;
• To highlight lifelong learning, qualifications and skills recognition, innovative teaching methods, inclusion and citizenship; 
• To advocate for the importance of inclusive access to education and training, and of creating the conditions for equality of opportunities and success;
• To stress the importance of continuous investment in education, self-study and vocational and artistic training, with a focus on digital and environmental skills; 
• To promote discussion of digital education, distance learning and hybrid (online and face-to-face) teaching, and innovative teaching methods.

Read more here.