The heir to the Portuguese royal family, Duarte Pio, believes that the war has exacerbated the already “quite fragile” Portuguese economic situation and that the crisis should end situations of corruption and “a strong and serious political class”.
“This crisis obliges us to put an immediate end to all situations of blatant corruption that we have come to know in recent times,” said Duarte Pio in his traditional message on December 1, the eve of Restoration Day. da Independência, to which the Lusa agency had access.
For the heir to the Portuguese royal family, “this is a situation that systematically casts a heavy shadow over the country”.
“We need a strong and serious political class, which is also determined to meet the challenges Portugal faces,” he argues.
Duarte Pio adds that the war has exacerbated Portugal’s economic situation, “which was already quite fragile”, warning that “inflation, the scarcity of products, the exponential increase in fuel and energy will make life even more difficult” for the Portuguese.
Despite the undeniable “gradual improvement of living conditions and the Portuguese economy in recent decades”, it is clear to Duarte Pinto that Portugal is “growing more slowly than most other countries”.
“Given that we have lost competitiveness and opportunities in both favorable and unfavorable international periods, this evolution can only be attributed to wrong political and economic choices,” he criticizes.
According to the heir to the Portuguese royal family, in Portugal “people and companies that succeed are subject to social envy and fiscal persecution”, while those that are “idle or not very productive are constantly promoted and encouraged, creating a country of subsidized, addict asking for and receiving favors from the state and funds of Europe”.
Duarte Pio begins his message to the Portuguese by recalling that this year has been marked by an unlikely reality, namely a war in Europe, which has “translated itself into a true humanitarian tragedy, but also an economic one”.
“I would like to emphasize the mobilization of the Portuguese people, who from the very beginning have done everything to alleviate the suffering of thousands of refugees. We were all aware of numerous joint or spontaneous initiatives by the Portuguese, which once again show that our people mobilize solidarity at the most important moments,” he recalled.
The message ends with a reference to the World Youth Day that will take place in Portugal in August 2023, giving the Church “a unique opportunity to affirm Portugal among young people in an inspiring encounter of cultures that is sure to be unforgettable”.
Source: DN
