Introducing Mr Cavaco Silva, Parliament's President Hans-Gert Pöttering said that previous Portuguese presidencies had been particularly "ambitious" in their scope and also that Portugal's history gave it a special position: When Lisbon had sent ships to all corners of the world starting in the 14th century, this had marked "the dawn of globalisation".
Šovasar ugunsgrēki Eiropā skāra vairāk nekā 700 000 hektārus platības, visvairāk ciešot Grieķijai, kur dega vairāk nekā 250 000 hektāru meža un krūmāju, bojā gāja vairāk nekā 60 cilvēku un daudzi guva ievainojumus.