Government: Eu policy news in Portugal

The European Union has officially unblocked the first round of accession negotiations for Ukraine after Hungary lifted its veto. This breakthrough followed a historic agreement between Budapest and Kyiv regarding the rights of the Hungarian minority living in Ukraine. Formal talks are expected to be announced at the next meeting of European foreign ministers.

European foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated that the administration of US President Donald Trump does not favor a unified European Union. Kallas warned that the US, alongside China and Russia, may be using a divide-and-conquer strategy to weaken the bloc, and urged member states to maintain unity to remain a strong geopolitical power.

European Council President António Costa announced that the upcoming Irish presidency of the European Union will host a summit dedicated to the housing crisis. This follows a decade where Portugal recorded the second-highest increase in housing prices within the EU, with costs rising 180% between 2015 and 2025.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that Spain will formally propose that the European Union suspend its association agreement with Israel. Sánchez cited alleged violations of international law and human rights by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu as the basis for the move. The proposal is scheduled for discussion at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg this Tuesday.

Over 30 members of the European Parliament, including João Oliveira of the Communist Party (Partido Comunista Português or PCP) and Catarina Martins of the Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda or BE), have written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa. They are requesting an extension of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência or RRP) deadline to 2028, citing rising costs and procurement difficulties.

Finance Minister Joaquim Miranda Sarmento has joined counterparts from Germany, Italy, Spain, and Austria in a formal request to the European Commission for a new tax on extraordinary profits of energy companies. The ministers argue this measure would ensure unity and address the impact of rising fuel prices linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The proposal mirrors similar European regulations implemented during the 2022 energy crisis.

Update: Portugal joins five-nation push for energy windfall tax

Finance ministers from Portugal, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Austria sent a formal letter to European Commissioner for Climate Action Wopke Hoekstra on April 3. The group argues that energy companies benefiting from market volatility caused by the conflict in Iran should contribute to easing the financial burden on the public.