Following a proposal to ban the sale of housing to residents abroad, the Bloco de Esquerda [BE] yesterday proposed a new ban: that companies apply to rulers for European funds, a measure that aims to end the “revolving door between business and politics”, with Catarina Martins explaining that the party’s aim is to to defend “republican ethics”.
“BE’s position is simple: respond to people’s lives, fight speculation and update wages and pensions, and also respond to the popular shock at the promiscuity between politics and business, defend republican ethics,” the party coordinator explained at the end of a visit to Feira de Espinho, district of Aveiro, a visit that marked the opening of the parliamentary days of the Left Bloc.
According to the leader of the BE, the first of the two measures contained in the bill amending the regime for the exercise of functions by holders of political offices and senior public offices is based on “an opinion of the prosecutor’s office general” so that it is “obvious that a ruler’s relatives cannot enter into public contracts with the state, nor can they apply for European funds”.
“What we propose is that when public office holders leave their position and do not return to their original profession, i.e. when they have a different professional career, they are obliged to inform the Transparency Entity and it will say whether the new function with the office.”
“Nobody understands, let alone that European funds are the biggest investment the country will have, that family members cannot contract for their businesses with the government – it’s natural they can’t, it’s a matter of transparency – , but who can apply for European funds. This has already happened, it should not happen, we want to correct it, we want to strengthen the republican ethic necessary for the credibility of democracy,” he said, in an implicit reference to the case from the Minister of Territorial Cohesion, Ana Abrunhosa.
Another amendment to this regime is to “stop the revolving door” where “a person sits in government, makes decisions about a company, and then goes to work for the company they luckily made decisions about because the sanction isn’t so vague may be. hold public office”, detailed Catarina Martins.
“What we propose is that when public office holders leave their position and do not return to their original profession, i.e. when they have a different professional career, they are obliged to inform the Transparency Entity and it will say whether the new role with having the position,” he explained.
Also without mentioning the name of former tourism secretary Rita Marques, the BE leader defended that “there is no restriction for people to return to their profession” but that it cannot be normal for “a government official to make decisions about a company and continue to be hired by the company itself”.
BE’s third measure is an amendment to the general whistleblower protection regime. “There is protection for whistleblowers who cannot be dismissed within a two-year period. Now there are four mandates in municipalities and that is why we need to extend the protection of these employees to at least the duration of the mandate, because we know how important it is is to encourage the workers in the communes to make the charges.”
Source: DN
