PS leadership candidate Pedro Nuno Santos opined on Wednesday that the PSD’s creation of a working group on the location of Lisbon’s new airport is part of the unfortunate tradition of postponing decisions.
“Enough”the former Minister of Infrastructure and Housing told journalists at the end of a meeting with the Portuguese Business Federation (CIP) in Lisbon.
When asked about the PSD’s intention to create a working group to decide on the location of the future Lisbon airport, even after the final report of the Independent Technical Commission (CTI) was known in March, the candidate for the post of Secretary – PS General pointed out that last year the Social Democrats agreed on a methodology with the current government, based on the Constitution of this CTI.
“The report [preliminar] emerged from a CTI that respected a complete methodology that was the subject of an agreement between the government and the PSD. It was expected that everyone involved in defining this methodology would accept the methodology, accept the report and make a decision based on it. Therefore, we cannot now be certain that the PSD will not create a committee, following the example of this working group. Enough”responded Pedro Nuno Santos.
Regarding the location of the new airport, the former minister said he accepted the perspective that consensus had to be sought. ‘namely with the PSD, but also with other parties’.
“This consensus should not be limited to a single party and, regardless of whether consensus is sought, the decision must be made. The decision to create another working group corresponds to what is unfortunately typical of the political decision in Portugal: there is always a good reason to wait a few more days, there is always a good reason to talk to someone else, a good reason to conduct another investigation, another committee, another working group. But the country is not consistent with that”criticized.
Pedro Nuno Santos said that the construction of Lisbon’s new airport is not an infrastructure that was “talked about two days ago or a month ago, but 50 years ago.”
“Research into the location of the airport has been conducted for 50 years. Enough is enough”he stood on it.
Still regarding the PSD’s intention to create a working group, Pedro Nuno Santos stressed that the country “must decide” even without broad political consensus on the new airport.
“There is room to agree on positions with other parties, but we must not become paralyzed in this. If there is no consensus, we still have to decide”he emphasized.
As for ANA (Aeroportos de Portugal) criticism of the content of the CTI’s preliminary report, released on Tuesday, the former Minister of Infrastructure and Housing rejected it.
“Those who decide in Portugal are the Portuguese people through their representatives. I do not comment on statements made by any particular company. The positions of companies must of course be taken into consideration, but this is a very important decision, which must be the responsibility of the Government and the representatives of the Portuguese people”counteracted.
Source: DN
