Portugal received €2.4B in 2nd instalment of SURE programme

  • Lusa
  • 25 May 2021

In total, Brussels today released €14.13 billion to 12 member states, with Portugal taking €2.41 billion, the second under SURE, after having received in December the first payment of €3 billion.

The European Commission on Tuesday released €2.41 billion for Portugal under the SURE financial instrument set up by Brussels for solidarity in support of employment during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In total, Brussels today released €14.13 billion to 12 member states, with Portugal taking €2.41 billion, the second under SURE, after having received in December the first payment of €3 billion, out of support that is expected to reach a total of €5.9 billion.

These loans will help member states cope with the surge in their public spending to preserve jobs in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, in particular by helping to cover costs directly related to the financing of national short-time working schemes and other similar measures adopted to cope with the pandemic, including for the self-employed.

Under today’s operation, in addition to Portugal, Belgium received €2 billion, Bulgaria €511 million, Cyprus €124 million, Greece €2.54 billion, Spain €3.37 billion, €751 million, Lithuania €355 million, Latvia €113 million, Malta €177 million, Poland €1.56 billion and Estonia €230 million.

Bulgaria and Estonia receive funding under this instrument for the first time and ten other EU countries had already benefited from loans under SURE.

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused at least 3,465,398 deaths worldwide, resulting from more than 166.7 million cases of infection, according to a report by the French news agency AFP.