Environment Minister Duarte Cordeiro on Monday guaranteed that the lithium mine projects in Boticas and Montalegre, in the Vila Real district, comply with the law.
“In our opinion, all the steps required by law have been completed in the lithium mines,” the government official stated in response to the Social Democratic deputy Hugo Oliveira in the Assembly of the Republic, in the context of the discussion on the special budget proposal of the State for 2024.
Last week, the Prime Minister, António Costa, resigned after learning he had been cited in wiretaps by those involved in an investigation by the Public Prosecution Service into the lithium, hydrogen and Sines data center activities.
Remember that the Ministry of Environment was one of the places where the PSP carried out searches on Tuesday.
Duarte Cordeiro, stated, presented in parliament the 2024 state budget (OE2024) out of a “sense of duty” and recalled that a future government could change it.
The minister started by recalling the fact that the government is resigning after the Prime Minister’s resignation.
“A future government will have its program and will of course be able to modify this budget, the options of the Environmental Fund and some planned investments in community funds, in accordance with its government program,” he said in a first intervention.
Duarte Cordeiro emphasized that climate action and environmental policies are “critical for the future” of the country, then explained the main figures and options of the budget proposal.
For the minister, this is a Budget that encourages the use of public transport, protects forests, reduces the use of polluting materials and greenhouse gas emissions, and “stabilizes prices and protects families and businesses”.
The Minister recalled the financing for the sector and the new features of the document in the field of urban mobility and the promotion of public transport, in the field of energy and climate, waste and the circular economy, or in the field of water resources and the conservation of nature and forests.
Source: DN
