A committee of the Chamber of Deputies discussed this Wednesday the possibility of Brazil joining TAP’s shareholder structure, during a hearing with the Brazilian Minister of Tourism and a representative of the Portuguese airline.
Washington Quaquá, deputy of the Workers’ Party (PT), who asked for the debate to last about an hour and a half, argued that Brazil “acquire a piece, through national resources”together with European or Portuguese partners so that “a shareholder solution for controlling TAP can be built with the Portuguese state realizing” Brazilian interests.
Washington Quaquá did not provide details on how this possible investment would be made, dates or potential European or Portuguese partners.
The presentation of this committee on the website of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies indicates that the aim of the partnership would be to create an international hub at Galeão Airport in Rio de Janeiro and at Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon. “for flights connecting Brazil, Portugal, Europe, Africa and Latin America”.
“I have already spoken to President Lula about this issue and I believe we have met all the conditions to sensitize President Lula about this issue.”emphasized the deputy, who is deputy leader of the Brazilian Federation of Hope Bloc, a party organization that supports the current government.
‘I have no doubt that he [Lula da Silva] will support this partnership process with the Portuguese State”he stated, adding that there is no one better to be a partner for Portugal, which “in fact does not want to alienate TAP without guarantees that TAP remains important for the Portuguese development strategy”.
Brazil’s Minister of Tourism, Celso Sabino, who was present only at the beginning of the commission, stated more cautiously that he sees “the initiative of Congressman Washington Quaquá of this commission to explore the possibility of greater interconnection between the Brazilian government and TAP to discuss, a beneficial measure”.
“Especially because we are all witnesses to what TAP meant for Portugal in harnessing the number of tourists, which should reach almost 28 million foreign tourists this year”emphasized Celso Sabino, who was in Lisbon on Friday, where he met with TAP CEO Luís Rodrigues to discuss the increasing connections between Brazil and Europe.
The Brazilian minister also recalled that the Portuguese airline is going through a period of financial restructuring, but that “despite the difficulties” it saw a “very organized, very efficient company that has contributed a lot” to increasing the number of tourists in Portugal.
Present at the committee, João Roberto Leitão de Albuquerque Melo, TAP’s representative in Brazil and South America, stated that “the Portuguese government is not against a debate”, at a stage where the airline is in the “privatization analysis process”.
But, he stressed, it is necessary that the debate “be bilateral, concluded between the Government of Portugal and the Brazilian Government, or between companies in which the Brazilian Government has an interest, or in the model that the Brazilian Government designs”.
The TAP representative noted that his presence in the committee would be limited to the legal aspect, as the company is owned by the Portuguese state and that it is “the government that has the legitimacy to deal with these aspects with the Brazilian government “, and explained that: According to European standards, more than 50% of the capital of an aviation company from the European Union will have to be held by capital of a Member State or a national of a Member State.
Source: DN
