Miguel Pinto Luz, as Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, has taken responsibility for some of the government’s most pressing projects, including TAP, the new Lisbon airport and housing, which faces many challenges.
Thus, former Secretary of State Passos Coelho will have to decide on the reprivatization of the airline, the decision to expand the capacity of Lisbon airport, the National Railway Plan and how to promote housing policy – an issue that has affected many Portuguese due to rising prices and lack of supplies.
TAP is one of the biggest problems for Pinto Luz, although the topic is well known to the government official. Former Prime Minister António Costa accused him of “irresponsibly” selling the company “at three in the morning” while part of a “government that had already resigned” in 2015, providing “an unlimited guarantee of future debts” and “total freedom private company.” “, which acquired the airline (the Atlantic Gateway consortium formed by David Neeleman and Humberto Pedrosa).
The airline, having gone through a difficult restructuring process due to the impact of the pandemic, achieved its highest ever net result last year with a profit of 177.3 million euros.
The previous government, which took control of the carrier in this context, began re-privatizing the company last year, expressing its intention to sell at least 51% of TAP’s capital, leaving up to 5% for workers. Among those interested were Air France-KLMl, the IAG group (British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, Aer Lingus and Level) and Lufthansa (Lufthansa Passenger Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines).
What needs to be known now is whether the new government will support the models presented by the outgoing leader or move forward with a new model for privatizing the company and decide to sell the entire TAP.
Regarding the decision to expand the capacity of the airport in Lisbon, the new government is relying on a report prepared by the Independent Technical Commission (CTI), published on March 11, which maintains the recommendation of a single solution at Alcochete or Vendas Novas. However, he noted that Humberto Delgado + Santarem “could be the solution.”
The PSD decided to establish an internal working group to analyze the location of the new Lisbon airport after agreeing with the PS to establish a CTI to carry out a strategic environmental assessment.
Luis Montenegro, before his election, guaranteed that the decision would be made “in the early days” of the government, in a file with decades of successes and failures that no executive body has so far managed to resolve.
In the housing sector, the government, with the support of the PSD and CDS/PP, intends to reverse some of the measures adopted during the government of António Costa, namely “forced tenancy, rent freezes”, as well as some of the measures included in the Mais Habitação. and targeted at local placement, such as the Emergency Local Allocation Contribution (CEAL) or the expiration of licenses prior to the start of this program.
The government also wants to reformulate the Porta 65 rental support program, which currently exists in the Porta 65 Jovem and Porta 65+ versions.
The Pinto Luz-led ministry should also continue to implement the National Railway Plan, which is underway but has many projects yet to be implemented.
Among the most iconic is the high-speed railway, including between Lisbon and Porto, which is in the early stages of tender.
In January this year, then Undersecretary of State for Infrastructure Frederico Francisco said that the environmental report of the National Rail Plan had been completed and that the next government would receive the process ready.
In an interview with Lusa, the Secretary of State already said that the investment in the Lisbon-Valença axis of the high-speed rail line to Galicia was estimated by the previous government at approximately seven to eight billion euros. The new government will now have to decide whether to continue with the plan in its current form, and in its election program it talks about investing in this segment.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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