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Portugal’s government gave in to market pressures on Wednesday and joined Greece and Ireland in seeking an emergency bailout. The decision came after the government was forced to pay much higher rates to sell more debt. José Sócrates, Portugal’s prime minister, said in a televised address Wednesday night that he had requested aid from the European Commission after recognizing that borrowing costs had become unsustainable. “I had always considered outside aid as a last recourse scenario,” he said. “I say today to the Portuguese that it is in our national interest to take this step.” He did not, however, specify the timing of any bailout. Portugal will probably need about 75 billion euros ($106.5 billion) in assistance, according to a recent estimate by Jean-Claude Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg, who presides over meetings of euro zone ministers. Some analysts have suggested that the amount could be as much as 100 billion euros. A Portuguese bailout has long been expected, but the speed with which things moved Wednesday appeared to have taken European officials in Brussels by surprise, leaving the timetable unclear. European leaders have been working to keep the financial contagion from spreading. Lisbon’s move now puts pressure on Spain, which has undertaken major economic reforms, budget cuts and a banking clean-up to stay out of danger. In a statement the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, said Portugal’s request “will be processed in the swiftest possible manner, according to the rules applicable.”