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In the presentation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, António Costa began by underlining that Portugal will only fully use the 15.3 billion euros in non-reimbursable grants from the Recovery Fund, without trying to use the loans granted by the European Union on the country’s financial situation.
The prime minister also said that Portugal wants to be one of the first countries to agree with its European Commission on its Recovery and Resilience Plan, and said that the country “must be at the forefront.”
In an intervention of about 40 minutes, the Prime Minister said that his Government’s schedule is to approve the country’s Recovery and Resilience Program on October 14, delivering the first draft the next day, at 3:00 p.m., to the European Commission.
“We want to be one of the first countries to close the agreement with the European Commission. We want to do so because we want to be at the forefront in this work for the resilience and recovery of Europe,” he justified.
For António Costa, it is essential that Portugal put itself “in the front line”, because the country’s recovery must also be the first priority.
“At the same time that we have to control the pandemic, we have to be able to recover our economy, protect jobs, recover lost jobs and recover the income that is being lost. We have to recover the trajectory of convergence that we had with the European Union ”, said Costa.
“Portugal can serve as an example for other European countries”, argues Von der Leyen
During her speech, Ursula Von de Leyen began by highlighting Lisbon as the right place to talk about European recovery and resilience plans because “the past and present of Portugal and Lisbon can be the guide for the future of Europe”.
Highlighting everything from the climate of national startups and the sporting achievements of Portuguese athletes to the natural landscapes of Portugal, the President of the European Commission described the country as a country with “a perfect blend of modernity and tradition.”
Praising the way the Portuguese “responded with responsibility, humility and solidarity to the pandemic” and also to “the historic decision to guarantee citizenship rights to migrants and asylum seekers to obtain medical care,” Ursula Von de Leyen said. that Portugal was not only an example in the fight against the pandemic, as it can be during the recovery.
Thanking António Costa for his role in the historic agreement to support member states to combat the economic crisis caused by the pandemic, the president of the European Commission highlighted how Portugal’s priorities are the same as those of the “next generation of the EU “and how” it can serve as an example for other countries.
To do this, the official recalled that not only is the need for reforms a well-known reality in Portugal, but that the country has invested in two key areas: the digital and green transition.
This presentation session of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, by António Costa, and the Recovery Plan of the European Union, by Ursula von der Leyen, were invited representatives of the 27 inter-municipal communities, the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto, of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities and National Association of Parishes.
The Portuguese plan, whose general lines were presented to the parties on the 21st and debated in parliament last Wednesday, deserved criticism from the left and right, showing, however, political forces available to make contributions.
According to the commitment reached last July, Portugal will receive 15.3 billion euros in grants (non-reimbursable), including 13.2 billion euros, by 2023, through the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, the main instrument of the Recovery Fund.
According to the President of the Commission, the support that Portugal will receive “will provide the means to boost the recovery of the Portuguese economy, based on the double ecological and digital transition, while ensuring that no one is left behind.”
On Monday, at a joint press conference held by the prime minister and the German politician, António Costa praised the president of the European Commission.
“Ursula von der Leyen has led the European Union in an exemplary way at such a difficult time in the current pandemic scenario that it has hit Europe hard. Under the impetus of the Commission, the way in which the European Union has faced this crisis is a example of how the union strengthens and strengthens the capacity of all to be able to face this crisis ”, said the Prime Minister.
At the same press conference, which preceded a working dinner in São Bento, the Prime Minister also called for a “notion of emergency” to close the European recovery program as soon as possible and said that he awaited the ratification processes by Member States. Members do not compromise on progress already made.
