“Taking over the Presidency of the Council of the EU in the current context is a great responsibility” says Joana Valente, head of the liaison office of the Portuguese employers´ association “Confederação Empresarial de Portugal (CIP)” in Brussels since 2019. In an interview with BDI, she talks about Portugal's EU Council Presidency, the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the Portuguese economy and what she expects from the next German government.