The Council of State, which meets in Cascais this Wednesday, expects the commitment of “all stakeholders”, the State, companies and civil society, so that there is “the fullest implementation” of European funds.
This information is contained in a statement issued by the Presidency of the Republic at the end of the meeting, which lasted about three and a half hours.
The Council of State met to analyze European funds in Portugal, with the participation of European Commissioner Elisa Ferreira, whose portfolio is Cohesion and Reforms, as a guest.
Leaving the Cascais Citadel Palace, Lisbon District, the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, refused to comment on the content of the speeches at this meeting, but considered that “it went very well”.
“At the right time, we invited the Commissioner, who talked to us about Europe and funds at European level. It was very good,” added the head of state.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said he will see “some of the fund work” of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) on site with the Prime Minister, António Costa, on Friday.
According to the released statement, this meeting of the Council of State “recognized the importance of European funds for the development of the European and Portuguese economy, which takes place in a unique and unrepeatable context”.
It was therefore “considered essential that all players – the state, the social sector, companies, civil society, citizens – commit themselves so that the fullest implementation of the allocated amounts takes place, think of all Portuguese,” the text reads.
The Minister of the Presidency, Mariana Vieira da Silva, responsible for the coordination of the PRR, also attended the meeting.
In the current economic climate, the President of the Republic has reaffirmed the message that the government should not waste European funds, focusing on those of the PRR, and has chosen 2023 as the “decisive year”, taking into account the election cycle in the following years until 2026: European, municipal, presidential and legislative.
Source: DN
