The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva, points the finger at the criteria invoked by the United Kingdom to remove Portugal from the green list, and remember that, without a health control from all sides., Portuguese diplomacy cannot perform miracles.
The ruler, heard this Wednesday in Parliament, he assured that diplomacy is working so that Portugal can once again welcome tourists, but also leaves the warning: no pandemic control, there are no miracles.
Santos Silva revealed that the Portuguese Government was informed in advance by the British Executive about the removal of the green list of citizens' trips from the United Kingdom. The British Government has always had the diplomatic courtesy to inform, through diplomatic channels and through the usual political channels, that exist between the two countries, of the decisions you make.
Even so, criticizes the criteria invoked by the Boris Johnson government. You would see the UK taking a restrictive decision in relation to Portugal if our positivity rate were above an internationally defined threshold, that is 4%. I can't accept the UK taking it saying that 1,2% is the double of 1, said yet.
The minister underlined that Portugal has made available to the British all the country's epidemiological data in a transparent and up-to-date manner.. Hence, Madeira was included in the green list. It is not diplomacy that determines the presence of a country on a given list.
The head of Portuguese diplomacy also highlighted, in the Assembly of the Republic, what or Digital Certificate (CD), which enters into force this Thursday in the European Union space (UE), is a cautious and prudent measure, that will allow “the economy to gradually open.
– The process that led to the approval of the CD results from an arbitration between complementary needs that must be done. We have to protect our common space. We must have coordination as a whole and allow the movement and mobility of people and gradually open up the economy, stressed Augusto Santos Silva, who argued that negative tests to Covid-19 should be sufficient to guarantee circulation in the EU.
Santos Silva classified the CD as a very important instrument, by also highlighting the fact that it was the quickest measure to be created and authorized by the 27 Estados-membros.
Porém, even with CD entry within the EU, Santos Silva indicated that Portugal will remain vigilant and coordinated, because the signs of an increase in a new variant multiply. go up in germany, França, Spain and, outside the EU, no Reino Unido, pointed out.
Note that the Portuguese government added, This Monday, the UK to the list of countries – South Africa, Brasil, Nepal and India – who have to comply with prophylactic isolation of 14 days after entering Portugal.
