Portugal Becomes Seventh EU Country to Join KP

(IDEX Online News) – Portugal has joined six other EU countries to become a member of the Kimberley Process (KP). The other EU member states are Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Romania and the United Kingdom.

With its entry into the KP, Portugal’s Tax and Customs Authority has been granted authorisation to inspect, check and asses rough diamonds.

This move "establishes the legal conditions necessary for the development of this new economic sector in Portugal, reinforcing and combating the illicit trade in diamonds," said a statement from Paulo Núncio, the Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs, as reported by the Algarve Daily News.

The EU, as a single entity, is a participant of the KP.