The president of the republic announced on Wednesday that he will meet with the Council of State to analyze the political and socio-economic situation in the country, following the audience in Belém on the state budget for 2023.
On the sidelines of a lesson at Escola Secundária Pedro Nunes, in Lisbon, a former high school he attended, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced that he will consult with state councilors about the socio-economic situation the country is going through and what can be expected. about the future. .
Without specifying a specific date, the head of state said the meeting of the Council of State will take place after the audiences in Palácio de Belém with PS, PSD, Chega, Liberal Initiative, PCP, BE, PAN and Livre on the state budget until 2023.
During the two-hour lesson he gave to the students of that school, the president of the republic announced that he will consult on what the parties want to see translated into next year’s fiscal policy after his five-day visit to the coast, the western United States of America, to contact the Portuguese communities living in that part of the country.
The previous Council of State meeting was at the end of June, at the time with the participation, as a guest, of John Kerry, Special Envoy of the President of the United States of America for Climate. The theme of the last meeting was climate change and the energy transition in light of the geopolitical realities caused by the war in Ukraine.
Now the conflict continues in the background, but it is the impact that the rise in inflation had on the wallets of the Portuguese that will be at the center of the discussion.
In addition to the President of the Republic, the Council of State consists of the Prime Minister-in-Office, António Costa, the President of the Constitutional Court, the Ombudsman, the presidents of the regional governments of Madeira and the Azores, the former heads of state Cavaco Silva and Ramalho Eanes.
The President also appointed António Lobo Xavier, António Damásio, Lídia Jorge, Luís Marques Mendes and Leonor Beleza as State Councillors for the duration of his term, and the Parliament elected Carlos César, Francisco Pinto Balsemão, Manuel Alegre, Sampaio da Nóvoa and Miguel Cadille. the end of the legislature.
PR says it was “important” for the government to say macroeconomic scenarios exist
The president of the republic ruled on Wednesday that it was “important” for the Portuguese to know about the macroeconomic scenario envisioned by the government and that in this way it would be understood that there is “room for maneuver” in the state budget for 2023.
“Since the state budget is certainly practically ready, it is customary to present it to the parties, but I think it was important to say to the Portuguese: ‘these are the scenarios for the coming time,'” said Marcelo Rebelo de Souza. .
And he added: “There you see the leeway that there is for the state budget coming up.”
The head of state stressed that the “most important thing at the moment” is that the Portuguese “realize what the government’s vision is”, in particular Fernando Medina, who is in charge of Finance, on the “near future”, despite recognizing “all difficulties this entails”.
“How do you see GDP growth? [Produto Interno Bruto]economic growth, the evolution of inflation, employment, public accounts… It is already known that it is very difficult to make this forecast, but there has to be a baseline, when you make a budget, there is a baseline forecast”, completed.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa impersonated a “realistic” president, warning that the effects of the war in Ukraine will still be felt next year and that the government’s Portuguese need to know “what threads are sewing with” and “the margin ” of possible forecasts of the evolution of the economy.
“The budget debate must remain within these limits,” continued the head of state, “if the evolution is different from what is expected”.
When asked about the method of calculating pensions – which takes into account the expenses and not the income part – the president of the republic asked for “for clarity” to separate the pension question from that of the state budget.
According to the president, the state budget should look at the specific moment the country is going through and what is expected for the next year, while the sustainability of social security is something beyond state budgets and, despite being related, for a “question of organization” it is necessary to separate the waters.
“I would like to start by saying what the outlook is for 2023 and then, after 2023, what is the sustainability of social security,” he summed up.
Source: DN
