Brussels, 13/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 13 April, the Portuguese parliament ratified the budget pact (the “Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance”), becoming the first member state to do so. The budget pact sets out public spending rules and financial belt-tightening as the main way of tackling the eurozone debt crisis. The Portuguese parliament also ratified the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the new bailout fund for eurozone countries facing financial...