Portugal’s eastern influence

A mix-up with the Portuguese flag.

Sifting through photographs from last month’s meeting of eurozone finance ministers (and who wouldn’t?), attentive Portuguese MEPs noticed something unusual. In the background of a photograph of Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg’s prime minister, there was something amiss with the Portuguese flag. 

Rather than having seven castles in the shield at the centre, the flag instead appeared to have seven pagodas. The mistake was not entirely unfamiliar: similar flags made in China have been seen on the streets of Portugal.

Portuguese left-wing MEPs João Ferreira and Inês Zuber have submitted a question to the European Commission and the Council of Ministers demanding to know how the inaccurate flag came to be used at the Eurogroup. They could not help making an additional political point: noting that the mistake is “ironic” given the significant recent Chinese investment in Portuguese public companies in the energy sector, “following the privatisation processes promoted and supported by the EU and IMF”.

The castles in the shield, which has been used as a symbol of Portugal for 800 years, represent Portuguese victories over seven Moorish enemies.

Council officials were this week scrambling to get the correct Portuguese flag in place for the summit of EU leaders that starts today.

Click Here: geelong cats guernsey 2019