Portugal and Germany take UN seats

Portugal has been elected a temporary member of the UN Security Council “with a record number of votes”, applauds the Lisbon daily Público. Süddeutsche Zeitung observes that Germany, which has also been handed a seat on the Council, “will have a say in the next global policy chapter of the years to come”. The two countries were selected for a two-year stint by the UN General Assembly on 12 October. The Munich daily notes that both countries initially were pitted once against the other for a single seat. MEP Martin Schulz complained, “Germany and Portugal have put themselves in confrontational positions”, which goes to show “once again that the EU doesn’t speak with one voice”.