Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said here Tuesday that Portugal and Finland agree on migration policy and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) priorities, but left implicit differences on the financial framework and reform of the euro, Xinhua reports.
Speaking at a joint press conference after a one-hour meeting with his visiting Finnish counterpart Juha Sipila, Costa said that Finland will assume the presidency of the European Union in the second half of next year and Portugal has maintained with the country "an excellent cooperation" at the level of the European Council, according to Lusa
Costa said that there have been "identical or very similar" positions between Portugal and Finland within the European Union, migration policies and the CAP, "in particular on rural development and the importance of giving new attention to forest areas".
"There are other matters for which we do not have a totally convergent position, but being good-faith and committed partners, we are well aware that it is the talk that people understand. So we must make a common effort to approximate positions," the Portuguese prime minister said, cited by Lusa news agency.
Prior to the meeting, the two prime ministers had visited the multinational company Nokia in Alfragide, Oeiras near capital Lisbon, where they inaugurated the "Knowledge" building for research area.
At an economic forum on relations between Portugal and Finland that took place in Lisbon on Tuesday, Costa invited companies from Finland to invest in his country in the field of management of forest resources and the exploitation of energy generation.
Costa said that Portugal faces "an enormous strategic challenge" in the management of its forests, but it is also an enormous business opportunity.