Antonio Costa recommends that the government implement the Recovery and Resilience Plan and not try to renegotiate negotiations with Brussels

This Wednesday, the Prime Minister expressed optimism about the political solution that will emerge from the legislative elections on March 10, and warned the new government that it should not waste time revising the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) in Brussels.

This position on the PRR was defended by António Costa at the final meeting of the protocol signed between the Institute of Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (IRHU) and the Chamber of Oeiras for the construction of 700 houses on the former radio naval base of Alges, in a speech in which he said that he “hopes” that the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, will nevertheless publish a diploma that he considers “necessary” on territorial planning and urbanization licensing.

Earlier, Chamber of Oeiras president Isaltino Morais expressed concern about the prospects to which the Portuguese will wake up on the morning of March 11 after early legislative elections, but the leader of the executive once again said he was “optimistic” and said he was convinced that “citizens they won’t want to go back.”

“I think the Portuguese will wake up well on the morning of March 11,” he said.

According to António Costa, the PRR already provides for a sunk investment of €3,200 million to build an additional 32,000 homes over the next three years, with a deadline of December 31, 2026.

“The country knows one thing: like it or not, the PRR is concluded between Portugal and the European Union, and we are obliged to comply with it until December 31, 2026; Whether they like it or not, they will have to carry out the 32 thousand fires agreed with the European Union, because if they don’t build them, we will lose money,” he said.

In this context, he left some advice for the next leader, referring to a situation that is happening with a European member state, which he did not name.

“The last government that came and wanted to review the relevant PRR got it to stand for a year and is now asking for an extension of the deadline. The country cannot continue to change its concerns. Every day lost makes it harder to implement the PRR,” he warned while listening to Isaltino Morais and Housing Minister Marina Gonçalves.

In his speech, António Costa recalled the open presidency held in the Lisbon metropolitan region by former head of state Mário Soares in 1994, exposing the “pain of tents”, and praised the investments Oeiras has made in housing over the past decades, which he believes , justifies that this municipality is one of the most balanced from a social point of view and able to attract young people.

He mentioned that with regard to PRR housing, Minister Marina Gonçalves testifies to him that Oeiras has been at the forefront in terms of execution. He even said that both he and Isaltino Morais are optimistic for this reason.

Marina Gonsalves has previously defended the idea that the PRR housing program in its medium-term component is “being implemented step by step”, so the decision on this rate “does not happen overnight”. another”.

“This is not a short-term job,” he warned, before citing measures the executive branch is taking to “immediately respond to people’s problems,” highlighting, for now, “income support that already covers 200,000 families.” .