Three EU commissioners in self-isolation after meeting positive Portuguese minister

POLITICO / Reuters – European Commission Vice Presidents Valdis Dombrovskis and Margrethe Vestager and Commissioner Elisa Ferreira went into self-isolation Sunday after meeting a Portuguese minister in Lisbon who later tested positive for the coronavirus.

But neither Commission President Ursula von der Leyen nor other commissioners who also took part in Friday’s trip to meet Portuguese ministers “fulfill the criteria to be considered contact persons,” the Commission said Sunday. 

The positive test of João Leão, Portugal’s finance minister, was revealed on Saturday, a day after the visit by a delegation from the College of Commissioners to mark the start of the country’s six-month presidency of the Council of the EU.

Leao’s positive test result was announced more than 24 hours after he attended the meeting at the Belem Cultural Center on Friday to discuss Portugal’s top priorities during its six-month EU presidency, which started this month.

Prime Minister Antonio Costa was also at the meeting, as were several other ministers and secretaries of state. Costa recently had to self-isolate for 14 days after a lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron, who then tested positive for the virus.

Several EU officials travelled to Lisbon for the meeting, including von der Leyen, the Commission’s Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans and European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager — all of whom were present.

Official images of the meeting shared on the government website showed it took place in a large room and all participants wore face masks.