MP Pedro Marques, from PS, welcomed the proposals presented on Wednesday by the President of the European Commission in the State of the Union address, namely the limitation of extraordinary profits in the energy sector, noting that it is only sinful to be late to come.
“We note positively that a European proposal is finally being presented to limit the extraordinary profits of the energy sector, by allocating these resources, EUR 120 billion, to those who have the least in Europe. I asked our political family about six months ago exactly this initiative, better late than never”the deputy said in statements to the press after Ursula von der Leyen’s speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
noting that “Some countries have made progress before, as was the case with Portugal, with a measure announced here too, decoupling gas and electricity prices and returning consumers to the regulated market, lowering tariffs”Pedro Marques says it’s important to move forward “in a coordinated way.”
“I think the Portuguese government has rightly said that what is now important is to make progress in a coordinated way at European level. In the case of Portugal and Spain, we have acted faster to limit these excessive profits […] If, in the Portuguese case, excessive profits have already started to be curtailed with these initiatives, and this is correct and positive, a European initiative can now be developed that will limit any excessive profits that can happen.”said.
Pedro Marques added: “if something [lucros excessivos] still exist in Portugal, as they too must be limited”.
“Now the news is that all of Europe, if this Commission proposal is approved, all of Europe will move in this direction”.
As this is “good news”, the MEP wished: “that the Council is not now running aground in the discussions of the energy ministers”.
Pointing to, among other things, “important measures” announced this Wednesday by Von der Leyen “limit energy prices and invest more in renewable energy sources”Pedro Marques was also pleased with the deployment of the “continuation of support for Ukraine, symbolic with the presence of Volodymyr Zelensku’s wife in the plenary”and the announcement of EUR 100 million in aid for school reconstruction.
The Commissioner noted in this regard that the “curious that this was precisely the priority of the Portuguese government when António Costa visited Ukraine”.
“It’s a positive speech. Several measures that unfortunately come later than they should and a rather large absence of social concerns, in addition to the important measure of support to families related to energy prices. We expected more from the social dimension and this dimension was practically absent from the discourse. We want more ambition in the fight against poverty in Europe”he concluded.
PSD criticizes PS’s “tactical noise” over excessive gains in Energy
PSD MP José Manuel Fernandes said his party “admits the proposal to limit the extraordinary profits of companies in the energy sector” “when it is at European level” is “a coherent position”, unlike the PS, he accused.
“The PSD has a clear and coherent position on this issue. On the government side, we see a tactical and competent voice. The Minister of Economy is in favour, the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister are against, the PS – members here too, it’s a cacophony”said the head of the Social Democratic delegation to the European Parliament, in response to one of the key announcements made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the Union address in Strasbourg.
José Manuel Fernandes pointed out that the PSD’s coherent position is to admit that the measure is being analyzed “if it is at EU level”, but “I don’t want this to mean an extra cost to the citizens, in this case to the Portuguese, that it is no longer a tax, that it is no longer used to raise taxes”.
“The most important thing in all of this is to look at energy and everyone’s bill at the end of the month should be lower, and then market regulation is essential”he noted and emphasized that it is necessary to await the precise content of the measure.
“We are taxing corporate profits without benefiting people, it could be a pretext for more taxes. And if we look at Portugal, it could be a competitive disadvantage, because we already have a lot more taxes on energy than the other Member States “he added.
In an analysis of von der Leyen’s speech in what was the German leader’s third «State of the Union» since he presided over the community administration, José Manuel Fernandes considers him “proactive, a real leader”, who is at the forefront of “a European Commission that has been the solution”.
“The European Commission has done its part, the Member States have not always done their part. And if we look at energy, for example, cross-border projects, interconnections are essential. Without ‘pipelines’ we will never reduce our dependence on energy, with other words, our independence. And it is the government that has been an obstacle, and especially you [Presidente francês, Emmanuel] Macron, and there it is necessary to act, it cannot be that everyone is looking at themselves”declared.
PCP regrets EU persists in sanctions course
MEP João Pimenta Lopes, from PCP, believes that the State of the Union address acknowledged the “ruthless impact” that the policy of sanctions against Russia has on the Union itself, and regrets that this course is still being followed.
Speaking to the press after attending Ursula Von der Leyen’s State of the European Union address at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the communist deputy emphasized “recognizing the cruel impact that the sanctions policy adopted by the EU has on the socio-economic situation of people in the different Member States, but that this is a way forward”.
“And there is no word for a negotiated solution to end a war that should not have started and to bring peace to the horizon in Europe”he added.
With regard to the proposals of the chairman of the community board, he noted that it: “useful for tackling energy issues, the super profits that the Commission itself now has to recognize as a result of the energy market and the liberalization of the sector”.
Noting that von der Leyen reported on the “intention, without explaining exactly how, to intervene in these superprofits”João Pimenta Lopes regretted that the President of the Commission “omitted other sectors that also make extraordinary profits”as well as the “absence of measures directly affecting the regulation of the market”.
“Much has been said about the need to counterbalance this issue of super profits from the perspective of supporting populations, workers, but not a word on the issue of the rise in the cost of living, the loss of purchasing power taking place and the need for a salary increase”criticized.
BE says Von der Leyen was “leagues to the left” from Costa
MEP José Gusmão, from the Left Bloc, today welcomed the proposal to redistribute the extraordinary profits of companies in the energy sector, as it is unusual for the Commission president to place himself “on the left” of the Prime Minister, António Costa. .
Speaking to the press in Strasbourg, after attending Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union address, the blockist deputy believed that the same “There were positives, from the beginning the announcement of measures that have not yet been presented for the taxation of extraordinary profits and for price control, namely in gas”.
“These measures are very relevant because there are a number of countries that are already moving in this direction, unfortunately not ours”he noted, while criticizing the Portuguese government’s reservations about limiting corporations’ extraordinary profits.
“We still don’t know what the concrete design of the measures will be, but we have already registered the unusual moment that it will be a European Commission president proposed by the German right who will join leagues to the left of a socialist prime minister. , ours”said.
José Gusmão said to wait “that the Portuguese government, as it did not defend” [esta medida] in Portugal, like many other Member States, with governments of the most diverse orientations […]in any case do not prevent the adoption of these measures, namely in the European Council”.
“If you have not had the courage or sense of justice to apply these measures in Portugal, at least do not stand in the way of their approval on a European scale”strengthens.
As the most negative aspect of von der Leyen’s intervention, the deputy of the Left Bloc emphasized “the announcement that the Stability and Growth Pact will return, without any reference to the reformulation of the rules of economic governance being debated in the various European institutions”.
“An announcement that was enthusiastically welcomed by the right-wing bank, but which, combined with the ECB’s interest rate hike, calls for a scenario of very serious economic catastrophe for the coming years”warned.
The president of the European Commission defended on Wednesday that the extraordinary profits of companies in the oil, gas, coal and refinery sectors “should be channeled to those who need it most”, and proposed a solidarity contribution.
“Don’t get me wrong. In our social market economy, profits are good, but in these times it is wrong to receive record revenues and profits that benefit from war and on the backs of our consumers, [pelo que]in these times, the profits must be shared and channeled to those who need it most”declared Ursula von der Leyen during her third State of the Union address at the European Parliament plenary session in the French city of Strasbourg.
According to the city manager, “these companies are making revenue they never counted, never dreamed of”.
Therefore, the idea of this tax on extraordinary profits would be to “force fossil fuel electricity producers to contribute to the crisis”, thereby raising funds for social support, Ursula von der Leyen explains.
Source: DN
