Berta Nunes added that the pilot test will be carried out in early 2022 in the elections for the Council of Communities.

"If this test goes well and shows that it is possible, that it is reliable, that people participate and that there are no security problems, we can hope to extend this test and even be able to use it in the legislative", she said to Lusa the Secretary of State for the Portuguese Communities.

"Electoral participation needs all citizens to vote", she defended.

The government official estimates that the test will need six months of preparation, anticipating that the amendment to the law of the Council of Communities, namely article (44.º) on the procedure of voting, is approved in the coming weeks, and allows for the elections to be held until March 2022.

For that date, there will also be an extensive communication campaign, in order to have the attention and interest of all emigrants in the world who want to participate in this election from home.

Unlike those who vote in Portugal, Berta Nunes recalls that many emigrants have to travel many kilometers to vote, and in some cases they even have to make air connections.

Berta Nunes wants to combine national efforts with the local efforts of the emigrant support offices in the municipalities to attract more and better capital from emigrants and for them to also make "quality" investments.

The "Portugal Positivo" conference brought together the Portuguese authorities in Paris, but also figures in the community such as artists, politicians and journalists, debating the main themes that interest the Portuguese in France such as the economy, the impact of the pandemic or being Portuguese in France.