The PS urged on Friday that MEP and PSD vice-president Paulo Rangel actively supported the European People’s Party (EPP) position to encourage the European Central Bank (ECB) to raise interest rates again.
At a press conference at the Assembly of the Republic, the Socialist Group Chairman, Eurico Brilhante Dias, also stated that the conditions invoked by Paulo Rangel to soften his support for the PPE’s position ended at the end of September – and that the PSD Vice-President itself gave an explanation of vote that coincides exactly with the dominant line at the ECB in terms of raising interest rates and controlling inflation.
In the copy of Paulo Rangel’s explanation of vote, distributed to journalists by the PS parliamentary group, we read about measures to support families and businesses in the face of rising costs: “These extraordinary measures must be circumscribed, exceptional and limited in time.”
Now, for Eurico Brilhante Dias, “politics needs seriousness in the relationship with the Portuguese, the PSD cannot be two-sided, it cannot express concern in Lisbon about the rise in interest rates and be in Brussels for this increase”.
In the presence of journalists, the chairman of the PS parliamentary group said he showed a political document of the PPE of September 29 in the Republic plenary on Wednesday, in which he defended the importance of an increase in interest rates by the ECB. , “but the PPD/PSD replied that it did not agree and that it set a series of conditions for the realization of this rate hike”.
“Today I present here an amendment proposed by the EPP on October 4, which gives substance to what is contained in the September 29 document and not only reinforces the determination that the ECB must have to raise interest rates, but also asks that this increase in interest rates must happen quickly. And more: all the conditions mentioned by Paulo Rangel in the document of September 29 have fallen, they do not exist “objected Eurico Brilhante Dias.
Also according to the PS group leader, the proposed amendment was tabled by two MEPs from the PPE, received favorable votes from the PPE, but was rejected by other groups.
“What is our surprise when we know that Paulo Rangel has voted globally for the project and made an explanation of vote in which he does not once mention the rise in interest rates, the position of the ECB, nor how important protecting income is. of Portuguese families,” he accused.
In the same vein, the leader of the PS bank, also MEP Claudia Aguiar, makes no mention of how the amendment was voted.
He also does not say that he disagrees with his group, regarding the will of the PPE on interest rates – a party that is conservative, which went for sanctions against Portugal and which was on the side of austerity against the Portuguese The PPE is campaigning for an increase in interest rates. It has always tried to make the ECB faster and raise interest rates,” he added.
Source: DN
