The president of the PSD announced on Monday that the internal working group that will analyze the location of the new Lisbon airport has already been formed and that the decision will be made “in the first days” of a possible social democratic government.
“We in the PSD, despite understanding that this is not an issue that would contaminate the election campaign, do not want to waste time” on the issue, Social Democratic leader Luís Montenegro said.
Speaking to journalists in Beja, on the sidelines of a visit he made to Beja airport, the chairman of the PSD indicated that the party has already “set up a team to carry out the political assessment” of this ‘file’ to feed.
The aim is that “we can make a decision in the first days of our government and hope to also be able to count on the PS in this work,” Montenegro added at the launch of the “Sentir Portugal” program in the Beja district. , which runs through Wednesday .
Asked by the Lusa agency about this internal working group and when the conclusions of the analysis will be known, Montenegro reiterated that the group has “already” been constituted.
“We will take advantage of all the time available to be able to decide quickly and present the decision when we take on the task of governing the country,” he said.
According to the PSD leader, Prime Minister António Costa, as well as PS leadership candidates Pedro Nuno Santos and José Luís Carneiro, were “involved in mess after mess” around Lisbon’s new airport.
Now, he continued, ‘after so much incompetence, [seria] It is good that Doctor António Costa, Doctor Pedro Nuno Santos and Doctor Luís Carneiro were more moderate and humble and recognized their inadequacy.”
“And now realize that without the contribution of the PSD, we would not be able to have practically all the elements to decide today,” he continued.
Asked what comes next, given the conclusions of the Independent Technical Commission (CTI), Montenegro stressed that the decision after the March elections will be up to a possible PSD government: “I will decide.”
“To decide, a strategic environmental impact assessment had to be carried out, which has been done. Now political conclusions must be drawn from the technical advice given,” he stated, indicating that the PSD is available to “build consensus” on this issue.
The CTI report “will be discussed publicly” and “is not a sacred document that no one can question,” the PSD chairman warned, arguing that on the contrary it is “a document open to change.”
When asked about the TGV, the PSD leader said his party’s position is “very clear”.
“The government, through the Prime Minister, has said it is in a position to launch the tender in January next year. The government is a management government” and what we need to know is “whether it is really necessary to conduct this tender.” in January or if it can wait until a new director takes office, he said.
Montenegro said that the PSD has not yet been shown “that Portugal could lose the community funding that this investment generates”.
If this is the case, your party is prepared ‘not to disrupt what protects the national interest’, but otherwise ‘if funding is guaranteed, the country will not have a government for another two months’. fullness of his office” to decide the matter.
According to the weekly Expresso, the working group announced by the PSD leader to politically evaluate the infrastructure files will be coordinated by Vice President Miguel Pinto Luz and consist of former Finance Minister Maria Luís Albuquerque and former Secretaries of State Manuel Castro Almeida and Jose Eduardo. Martins, as well as members of the PSD National Strategic Council Carlos Lopes and Tiago Souza d’Alte.
Source: DN
