President of the National Council pays official visit to Portugal

In Lisbon, Mr Page was received by the president of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, and held discussions with representatives of the chairs of various parliamentary committees, including the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Portuguese Communities and the Committee on European Affairs and Territorial Cohesion. He also met with the Minister for State and Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, and the Secretary of State for the Portuguese Communities, Emídio Sousa. The talks provided an opportunity to discuss the state of bilateral relations between Switzerland and Portugal, economic ties between the two countries, relations with the EU and key matters of international policy.

Both sides emphasised the strength of bilateral relations, which are underpinned by the presence of a Portuguese community in Switzerland of around 260,000 people - the third-largest foreign community - which makes a significant contribution to human, cultural and economic ties between the two countries. In 2025, trade between Switzerland and Portugal amounted to CHF 2.5 billion. Swiss exports consisted mainly of chemicals and pharmaceuticals, machinery, electronics and watches, while imports from Portugal consisted mainly of chemicals and pharmaceuticals, textiles and vehicles.

With regard to relations between Switzerland and the EU, Mr Page briefed his counterparts on the progress of parliamentary deliberations on the Switzerland-EU package and on the ongoing political debate in Switzerland. The talks also covered the current geopolitical situation, with particular focus on the war in Ukraine and security in Europe. Discussions also covered Portugal's election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the two-year term 2027-28 - a position held by Switzerland in 2023-24 - as well as the priorities associated with that role. In this context, Switzerland and Portugal reaffirmed their shared commitment to multilateralism, dialogue and respect for international law as the foundation for peace and security.

On the sidelines of the official talks, Mr Page and the parliamentary delegation visited the port of Sines and the Herdade do Pinheiro farm.

At the port, the delegation was received by representatives of MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company - a Geneva-based group and one of the world's leading container shipping operators - and PSA Sines, the operator of the port's container terminal. As Portugal's leading port in terms of cargo volume, Sines plays an important role in maritime links between Europe, the Americas and Africa and, thanks to its deep waters, is able to accommodate the largest container ships. The visit highlighted the role of the port of Sines in global supply chains and the importance of intermodal links for the transport of goods to Central Europe. For landlocked Switzerland, reliable access to international logistics networks is of particular importance.

The delegation also visited the Herdade do Pinheiro farm, situated within the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve. Covering over 5,000 hectares, the estate is involved in agriculture, forestry and livestock farming, and is managed by a Swiss woman. The visit focused on the integrated management of the estate's agricultural, forestry and livestock activities, including the cork oak forests and cork production, as well as the measures taken to reconcile economic activity with protecting biodiversity within the nature reserve.

The delegation accompanying the president of the National Council comprises National Council members Corina Gredig (Green Liberals, ZH) and Nicolas Kolly (SVP, FR).