Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 17^th July 2024

Good afternoon. Many of us will be thinking of our holidays and with millions of people currently and planning to travel outside of Europe, it is wise to know what Consular protection exists in case something goes wrong. Embassies and consulates are there to help.

An EU citizen is unrepresented if there is no embassy or consulate from his or her own Member State present in the country. An EU citizen can also be unrepresented if the embassy or consulate established locally is unable for any reason to provide consular protection, for example because it is far away from where the EU citizen is located. Anyway it is best to plan ahead so before starting your holiday ensure you have the contact details of the embassy/consulate of your country, so you can contact them without delay.

The help that may be provided by embassies/consulates of (other) EU Member States include:assistance in cases of lost or stolen passport or ID card where the embassy can issue emergency travel documents – single-journey documents intended to allow you to return home. In the case of arrest or detention: once contacted, the embassy may provide information on the local legal system, or help you find a lawyer. Being victim of a crime: someone from the embassy may assist you and advise on the next steps. In case of serious accident or illness: staff may help contact your insurance company, family, or friends for you if you end up in hospital. Relief and repatriation in case of an emergency: the embassy may be able to help be evacuated, for example in case of a conflict, a natural disaster or civil unrest, and lastly death, staff may help notify next of kin and help you register a death.

In the last week we have seen the fire danger at VERY HIGH AND MAXIMUM levels in UP TO 75 municipalities. The main areas are the Algarve, parts of centre and parts of north east. This is so far the highest of the year. As we have mentioned many times before, with these levels there are various restrictions in place, particularly on the use on bonfires, burning of cut and piled waste for example. It is very important that these restrictions are followed. We publish these every morning on Facebook between 0730 hrs and 0800 hrs for all to see.

We also publish on what is known as the Fire weather Index or FWI for short. The FWI is a model-based index used worldwide to estimate fire danger. It indicates intensity of potential fires by combining the rate of fire spread with the amount of fuel (vegetation) being consumed, taking into account temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, precipitation, drought conditions, fuel availability, vegetation characteristics and topography.

‘Critical’ fires are defined as those covering an area greater than 10,000 ha and are challenging to extinguish until air temperatures fall and precipitation increases. They are typically associated with ‘extreme’ fire danger, which is an FWI of over 50. Last Saturday. A week ago about one third of the mainland in the south east was over 50 which is extreme level. Some of the major fires in 2017, the Monchique fire of 2018, Odemira fire of 2023 and Gambalas fire of 2022 all took place when the FWI was at or over this level. Being aware of this BEFORE a fire breaks out is very important, so we can be prepared and take appropriate action.

Air temperatures will start to rise from Tuesday onwards across the country. Algarve and Alentejo will be the regions with the highest temperatures. Friday will be the hottest day.

After a week with temperatures below normal for the season, a week of heat is coming. In some places, temperatures will reach over 40C by Friday according to IPMA. After a roller coaster weather, which is not so normal for summer, it seems that the heat is finally going to arrive. “The district capitals of Alentejo, therefore, Évora, Beja, and possibly Portalegre, may record temperatures of 37ºC or more. The Algarve may record very high values”, explains Patrícia Gomes, meteorologist at IPMA. A reminder therefore when exercising or working outdoors to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.

Our team wishes you a good week ahead.

News

Citizens’ Shops to expand to 95 by 2026

Almada, Setúbal, 16 Jul 2024 (Lusa) – The Minister of Youth and Modernization announced today that Citizen Shops will be expanded to 95 by 2026 and that the Advisory Council of the Agency for Administrative Modernization (AMA) will be reactivated in September.

Margarida Balseiro Lopes was speaking at the end of the meeting of the first Council of Ministers dedicated to Digital Transition and Modernization, which took place today at the Faculty of Science and Technology of Universidade Nova (Nova FCT), in Almada.

“In the digital government model, I draw attention to a body that has existed in law for many years” and that “we consider essential to reactivate in September, which is the AMA Advisory Council”, said the minister.

At this moment, “today, we have 72 Citizen’s Shops and our commitment is to have 95 Citizen’s Shops by 2026”, announced Margarida Balseiro Lopes.

One of the “great advantages” of Citizens’ Shops is, according to the minister, “finding in the same place a group” of entities, from Finance to Social Security, among others.

“It is essential that this Advisory Council” meets “to guarantee opening hours” and that the way in which the service is provided to citizens is “exactly the same, regardless of the counter and the entity providing the service”, stressed the minister.

The Government today approved 15 measures to simplify and reduce administrative bureaucracy, maintaining the name Simplex which, according to the minister, is a “well-chosen” name.

Gov.pt portal launched in September and implementation in the 1st quarter of 2025

Almada, Setúbal, 16 Jul 2024 (Lusa) – The single digital services portal gov.pt will be launched in September and the application will take place in the first quarter, the Minister of Modernization announced today, adding that a measure was approved that limits the creation of portals in the Public Administration.

“We will have a citizen entry point here, at gov.pt, which will be launched in September and where we will have a set of services that citizens will be able to access”, said the Minister of Youth and Modernization, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, who was speaking at the end of the meeting of the first Council of Ministers dedicated to Digital Transition and Modernization, which took place today at the Faculty of Science and Technology of Universidade Nova (Nova FCT), in Almada.

The minister guaranteed that she will not close the Tax Authority (AT) website.

“What we have to ensure is that citizens enter gov.pt and without realizing it” are having “access to a certain service” from AT without there being a disruption in access to that service, he said.

Furthermore, the citizen will have a reserved area with the entire history of interactions he/she has had.

From September, the State’s digital services telephone service will be available in English.

Furthermore, “a decree-law was approved today that establishes such important rules as limiting the creation of more portals and more applications in the sphere of Public Administration”, he said.

Margarida Balseiro Lopes argued that it is essential to standardize the customer service experience for citizens, both on the website and in stores, and to implement the Citizen Card and the Digital Mobile Key (CMD) as “unique authentication methods”

All of this will not be done “overnight”, but in “several stages”, with the gov.pt portal being launched in September, which will already have some services included on that site, with more gradually being added over time.

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 10^th July 2024

Good morning everyone. We start with the good news that in the first six months of the year there were 1,812 rural fires, the lowest number since 2014, according to the first provisional report of 2024 by the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF).

The more than 1,800 fires resulted in 2,965 hectares (ha) of burnt area, the second lowest value in the last 10 years, only surpassed in 2016 with 1,853 hectares burned. According to ICNF data, comparing data from the first half of this year with the history of the previous 10 years, there were 60% fewer rural fires and 80% fewer burned areas. Of the total area burned between January 1 and June 30, 1,664 ha corresponded to scrubland, 723 ha to agricultural areas and 577 hectares to forest stands.

Only three fires were considered major by the ICNF and occurred in the municipalities of Reguengos de Monsaraz (Évora), with 333 ha burned, Aljustrel, with 167 ha, and Castro Verde, with 115 ha, (both municipalities in the district of Beja). These three fires occurred in June, the month with the highest number of fires and area burned.

It is important however not to let our guard down. Even though the fire risk has been lower than in some previous years, the Fire Weather Index has recently shown areas where the FWI has exceeded 50 i.e. EXTREME, which means that fires can burn with great intensity, and are difficult for firefighters to supress. So take extreme caution when this is shown on our daily fire risk report. As I mentioned on KissFM last Sunday, some of the major fires in 2017, the Monchique fire of 2018, Odemira fire of 2023 and Gambalas fire of 2022 all took place when the FWI was at or over this level.

Turning from Fire to Water! Hurricane Beryl that hit the Caribbean last week wasn’t a freak Storm – It’s the exact nightmare meteorologists have predicted

We have previously reported and highlighted concerns by meteorologists about increasing ocean temperatures particular the Atlantic, as these can affect Portugal, with occasional cyclones and even hurricanes affecting the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the summer season.

An article by Dennis Mersereau, a weather reporter with more than a decade of experience covering extreme storms around the world, gives an insight into why we should be concerned. “A hot ocean provides the energy hurricanes need to grow—and can limit the cooling that happens in their wake, making it likelier that the storms that follow will be powerful ones. Hurricane Beryl’s record-shattering intensification into a scale-topping Category 5 storm has stunned even the most seasoned experts. This storm is the nightmare scenario that meteorologists were worried about heading into the 2024 hurricane season.

All the warning indicators were blinking red in the weeks and months leading up to Beryl’s formation. The ocean is a veritable sauna ready to support any tropical disturbance that can get its act together this year. We are monitoring the storms closely as well as the likely impact here in Portugal

Reminder of the “Information and contacts poster” produced by Safe Communities for use in emergencies. This poster is designed to help you in an emergency. It can be a stressful time, so having information and essential contact details immediately available will help you in summoning help though 112. Just print from the link below, fill it in and place in a conspicuous place in your home, inside entrance doors for instance. If you family and friends staying with you, ensure they are aware. If you rent a property to clients also ensure they are aware. Our thanks to ANEPC for supporting and sharing this initiative. It can be downloaded here: https://www.safecommunitiesportugal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Emergency-Information-and-Contacts-BW-.pdf

Our team at Safe Communities wish you a very happy week ahead.

News

Aguiar-Branco says that NATO principles have never been more important than today

Lisbon, 09 July 2024 (Lusa) – The president of parliament believes that NATO’s dual dimension of defence space and freedom has never been as important as it is today, and highlighted Portugal’s role in strengthening the southern flank of the Atlantic Alliance.

These positions were conveyed to the Lusa news agency by José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, who is participating in Washington at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly summit, which brings together 32 delegations from member states, including 23 presidents of national parliaments.

“This summit is taking place on NATO’s 75th anniversary, a milestone that highlights the importance of the Atlantic Alliance in its security and defence dimension. Everyone is aware that today democracy and freedom itself are at stake, as well as the world as we wish it to exist in a free society. Never before has this dual reality been present among all its member states,” declared the President of the Assembly of the Republic.

José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, former social-democratic Minister of Defense, is in Washington accompanied by the vice-president of the Assembly of the Republic, the socialist Marcos Perestrello.

In more operational terms, according to the president of the Portuguese parliament, this high-level meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly is analyzing the strengthening of the articulation between the eastern and southern flanks of the Atlantic Alliance.

“Although the immediate risks are on the eastern flank, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there is an awareness that the threats are global. We have threats such as disinformation, often via social media, which aims to create instability in NATO, particularly in terms of enlargement objectives,” he pointed out.

In this context, the President of the Assembly of the Republic also defended the need to create a strong line of communication in relation to third countries.

“At this summit, we will recognize that parliaments play a very important role today, as they represent different political families and shape the positions of different countries. The greater the exchange of antiparliamentary experiences, the greater the coordination, the greater the quality of the Atlantic Alliance will be strengthened,” he added.

2 Rodas: Agrerre-se à Vida’ campaign will inspect motorbikes from Wednesday

Lisbon, 09 Jul 2024 (Lusa) – The road safety campaign “2 Rodas: Agrerre-se à Vida” (2 Wheels: Hold on to Life) kicks off on Wednesday on Portuguese roads to monitor two-wheeled motor vehicles, driving under the influence of alcohol, speeding and mobile phone use.

This is the seventh of 12 awareness and inspection campaigns planned for this year within the scope of the National Inspection Plan (PNF), which are carried out annually by the Public Security Police (PSP), National Road Safety Authority (ANSR) and National Republican Guard (GNR) and will run until July 16.

The 2023 PNF established as priorities the themes of speed, alcohol, safety accessories and mobile phones and this year’s, according to a statement from the PSP, in addition to these four themes, adds a new chapter on the inspection of two-wheeled motor vehicles.

The “2 Rodas: Agrerre-se à Vida” campaign includes awareness-raising actions by ANSR and inspection operations by the PSP and GNR.

These operations, according to the statement, will have a special focus on roads and access points with high traffic flow to help reduce the risk of accidents and encourage drivers to adopt safer behaviour.

Security forces remind motorcycle and moped users of the importance of wearing an approved helmet, properly fastened and adjusted, thus reducing the risk of death in the event of an accident by 40%.

The use of other protective equipment such as gloves, boots, jackets with protectors, trousers with protectors and airbags, contribute to reducing the severity of the consequences in the event of an accident, they also warn.

 

 

Portugal Safety and Security report Wednesday 3^rd July 2024

 

Good morning.  The rural firefighting system, known as the DECIR, has been reinforced since Monday 1st July to reach its maximum capacity, with 14,155 operatives, 3,162 teams and 3,174 vehicles now on standby, with 72 aerial resources being available. “Delta” phase as it is known, lasts until 30th September, with resources increasing slightly since the same period in 2023.

Traditionally this time of the year is when there are a greater number of rural fires with the potential to burn with some intensity, although in more recent years some major fires have occurred outside this period, including the October 2017 fires, in which over 40 people died.

A few days ago the National Commander of Emergency and Civil Protection, André Fernandes gave an interview to Jornal de Notícias in which he explained the strategy to be adopted during this period. He gave an assurance that the combat device (DECIR) is prepared to respond to large-scale rural fires, but the objective is to “try to stop as much as possible” the fires when they are in the initial phase. The initial phase is in the first 90 minutes of response to a fire and in 2023 this was achieved in 90% of all fires.

At Safe Communities Portugal we closely monitor fires and the impression we have, is what the ANEPC describe as “muscular initial attack”, has been very successful. Of nearly 8,000 fires last year only 10% had the potential to turn into major fires, but the result was only one major fire, which was in Odemira region. André Fernandes statement confirms this. “What we have been doing is trying to stop as much as possible, or reduce, the number of fires that progress to expanded attack [larger scale] and, if they do, here we have the prepared device, with the technical capacity, that expanded attack nowadays requires”.

The use of the word “nowadays” reflects reality, due to extreme weather conditions and the huge amount of fuel around. Therefore fires have the potential to burn with great intensity and spread at a quicker rate, sometimes to a point where the fire becomes more difficult or impossible to suppress through normal combat means – which was seen in the fires of 2017 and some other major fires since then.

Rural fire management, however, is not just the role of the authorities and firefighters; everyone has a role to play – this means society as a whole. Creating awareness of the risk of fires and the dangers that these pose, is the first stage of being prepared. The more prepared we are, the more that can be done firstly to reduce the number of ignitions, and secondly should a fire start, to reduce its impact. The main steps are cleaning land around properties and adopting the type of behaviour that avoids fires starting in the first place.

Not unexpectedly The amount of water stored fell in June (left map) in all river basins compared to the last day of the previous month (right map), according to data from the National Water Resources Information System (SNIRH). The Barlavento Algarve basin continues to be the one with the lowest amount of reserve water, falling from 22.3% in May to 20.8% in June. Almost half of the territory of mainland Portugal was in a weak or moderate meteorological drought at the end of May, with a greater focus on the South region. The message is very clear that we must conserve water at all costs, especially in the south of the mainland.

Further away but a situation that has some influence on the Iberian Peninsula  is that Hurricane Beryl has strengthened into a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane — the earliest on record. A state of emergency was declared Sunday night by Grenadian Gov. General Cécile La Grenade will remain in effect until Tuesday morning. All businesses have closed except the police force, hospitals, prisons, waste disposal and ports. It is expected to affect Jamaica on Wednesday with “life threatening winds and a storm surge”. This is evidence of the warming of the Atlantic due to climate change. Warmer oceans are an ingredient to the forming of cyclones, which can move across the Atlantic affecting on some occasions Portugal. We will continue to monitor over the coming months.

Our team at Safe Communities wish to a safe and enjoyable week ahead.

News

Minister reiterates Government’s willingness to reach an agreement with PSP and GNR structures

Torres Novas, Santarém, 02 Jul 2024 (Lusa) – The Minister of Internal Administration, Margarida Blasco, today praised the stance of the PSP unions and GNR associations, which are committed to “seeking the best possible agreement with the Government”, believing that it is possible to reach a consensus.

“We are all acting in good faith and I believe that both the unions and the associations have behaved and taken the approach of seeking the best possible agreement with the Government. This position deserves our full respect and the Government is available to discuss this agreement until the end”, said the minister, on the sidelines of the event commemorating the 157th Anniversary of the Public Security Police, which took place today in Torres Novas, in the district of Santarém.

Asked about the meeting between the Government and the PSP unions and GNR associations scheduled for July 9, the minister reiterated the Government’s “availability” to reach an agreement with the PSP and GNR structures, stating that the executive, “in its good will”, will listen to the proposals of each union”.

Negotiations between the Government and the PSP unions and GNR associations on the allocation of a risk allowance remain, after three months, without an agreement after the MAI proposed an increase of 300 euros in the PSP and GNR risk supplement, an amount that would be paid in phases until 2026, increasing the fixed supplement from the current 100 to 400 euros, in addition to maintaining the variable component of 20% of the base salary.

In response, the platform of PSP unions and GNR associations, which initially asked for a 600 euro increase, now proposes an increase of 400 euros paid in three instalments: 200 euros this year, 100 euros in 2025 and another 100 in 2026.

At the end of the PSD parliamentary sessions in Sintra, the Prime Minister stated today that the Government will not put “even one more cent” into the proposal for the security forces, saying that it has already made “a dreadful effort” and is not available to “bring back financial instability”.

The minister also considers that the executive has taken a series of actions “to improve equipment and improve training” of the security forces, stating that the Government has in hand a “deep plan to improve all infrastructures in mainland Portugal, the Azores and Madeira”.

Regarding the report by the General Inspectorate of Internal Administration (IGAE) which warned of the lack of vehicles available to the PSP and GNR and of buildings and facilities in a “poor state of conservation”, Margarida Blasco says that the Government’s priority is to identify, together with the local authorities, “the stations and police stations that need to be restored and rehabilitated”.

Regarding the 481 new agents who completed the course today in Torres Novas, at the PSP practical school, the minister highlighted the importance of the new agents, stating that “they are the symbol of the next courses and of the next young people who embrace this career in public security”.

What’s happening with flights in Europe? Hundreds of cancellations and significant delays

In recent days, Europe has experienced half of all flights that were cancelled worldwide. Last Friday alone, 600 flights were cancelled and more than eight thousand suffered significant delays. The data comes from the Flight Aware platform, which blames bad weather and a lack of staff at airports, airlines and control towers.

The holidays haven’t even started yet for most Europeans, but there are already hundreds of cancelled flights and thousands of delays at airports across the continent.

Last weekend alone, Europe recorded half of all cancellations worldwide. And last Friday, June 28, there were 600 flights cancelled and more than 8,000 delayed. In many cases, delays were more than 3 hours, especially for departures from Spain and the UK.

The data was revealed by the Flight Aware platform and confirmed by the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation. In the last week of June, planes flying over Europe accumulated almost 33,000 hours of delays, an increase of 153% compared to last year. And this Monday, a day considered quiet, 7 out of 10 flights took off later than scheduled. Especially from Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris, London, Madrid and Barcelona. In other words, from the busiest airports.

According to experts, there are two causes for these excessive delays and cancellations: bad weather in some European countries, with heavy rain and heavy rains in recent days, and a lack of staff at airports, airlines and, even more so, in control towers.

According to official data from the European Union, last year one in every four flights arrived late at its destination. The worst result in the last 20 years.

 

 

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 26^th June 2024

 

Good morning. There are two items of news which are of concern one local and the other international. We start with the local news.

It was reported yesterday that in 2022, the Algarve lost a total of 15 million cubic metres of treated water from its supply networks, an amount that would be enough to meet half of the needs of Algarve families, according to data released today by DECO PROteste.“More than 15 million cubic meters of drinking water escaped from the distribution system in the Algarve in 2022, equivalent to 49% of the water billed to families that year,” it is stated in a statement.

According to an analysis carried out by the publication of the Portuguese Association for Consumer Protection (DECO), data from the 16 municipalities in the region indicate that, in that year, half recorded high losses and 15 fell below the minimum levels for the recovery of ageing networks.

This is a terrible waste of water which the Algarve can ill afford. To put this in context, the problem of aging pipes is commonplace in other countries as well and the figures in England and Wales and in Belgium for instance are also very high. What makes it a bigger an urgent problem in the Algarve is that there is a shortage of water due to drought and no short term solutions in place. The repair/replacement of aging water pipes should have been a priority project some years ago, as the problem has been known by local officials for some time. New projects such as desalination will be a waste of money if water is distributed through supply pipes that are already leaking!

The second issue is that the number and intensity of extreme wildfires, the most destructive and polluting, have more than doubled worldwide in the past 20 years due to global warming caused by human activity, a new study finds. Using satellite data, researchers studied nearly 3,000 wildfires with enormous “radiative power” — the amount of energy emitted by radiation — between 2003 and 2023 and found that their frequency increased by a factor of 2.2 during that period.

The temperate coniferous forests, especially in the western United States, and the boreal forests, which cover Alaska, northern Canada and Russia, are the most affected, with the frequency of these fires multiplied by 11 and 7, respectively. Considering only the 20 most violent fires of each year, their cumulative radiative power has also more than doubled, at a rate that “appears to be accelerating”, according to the study published on Monday in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, reported the Agence France-Presse (AFP).

This a worrying finding as climate change resulting in extreme weather conditions is accelerating leading to more frequent and intense wildfires. Not only does this result in loss of life and destruction of property, “but with these fires, vast regions are being covered by the smoke cloud, which has significant effects on health and causes many more premature deaths than the flames themselves”, highlighted the researcher.

Lastly a reminder of a number of scams around at present. In the last week these scams have used the name of the tax Authority, phone callers pretending to be from the receiver’s bank, the “Hello Mum- Hello Dad” scam and a fraudulent message using the logo of the GNR informing the reader that he/she has “several legal proceedings in force against that person”. These are all scams and the best response is not to click on any link, do not provide and information and delete the message.

Our team at Safe Communities wishes you a safe and pleasant week ahead.

News

Health – Users can now consult available emergency services on an interactive Map on SNS portal

Lisbon, 25 June 2024 (Lusa) – Users can consult, from today, the emergency services available in the next seven days through an interactive page on the National Health Service (SNS) portal, announced the SNS Executive Board.

In a statement, the executive board said that this tool automatically integrates the emergency schedules that appear in the Integrated Provider Information System for the next seven days and is available at https://www.sns.gov.pt/servicos-de-urgencia-sns/

“This means that the information provided is obtained from the platform where hospitals upload and permanently update their staffing schedules for emergencies, which is the same platform used to refer users via the SNS 24 Line (808 24 24 24),” explained the executive management.

According to the statement, users can search by type of emergency, by region, by local health unit and by health unit and “find out, quickly and intuitively, which hospitals are closest and which are accessible”.

The executive management said that this data will be updated hourly, providing users with the response from each hospital and the NHS in terms of their emergency services.

The Executive Board of the SNS also highlighted that the summer plan “is being fulfilled” in terms of obstetrics/gynaecology emergencies, which, in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region, which has presented the most difficulties in terms of shifts in recent weeks, are operating as a network, in order to “always guarantee the assistance response”.

This plan for obstetrics/gynaecology emergencies was agreed between the Ministry of Health, clinical directors and the presidents of the boards of directors of the hospitals involved, it says.

Over the last two weeks, the Ministry of Health published a map of emergency services that are open, subject to restrictions and closed for the following days, with the greatest restrictions on the number of healthcare professionals working in Lisbon and the Tagus Valley in the areas of obstetrics and paediatrics.

 

António Costa given the green light to become President of the European Council

Negotiators from the European Socialists, EPP and Liberals have reached an agreement on the division of top positions: the former Portuguese Prime Minister should take over the presidency of the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen the European Commission and Kaja Kallas should be the next head of European diplomacy.

There is already an agreement between European political families on the names chosen to occupy the top positions in the European Commission, the European Council and the High Representative for Foreign Policy. They will be the German Ursula von der Leyen, the Portuguese António Costa and the Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, respectively. The information was released by the newspaper Politico and confirmed by SIC.

The six European leaders who negotiated the names in question were Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, representing the European People’s Party ; Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, for the Socialists ; as well as French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte , representing the Liberals.

 

SIC understands that the six had a video conference this Monday night and reached an understanding. The three names now have to be confirmed by European leaders, who meet in Brussels on Thursday.

Top positions are approved by qualified majority. In the case of Von der Leyen, she still has to be elected by a majority in the European Parliament.