PCP says new EU budget rules are ‘another attack on sovereignty’

The PKP secretary general considered on Tuesday that the new European budget rules are “yet another attack” on national sovereignty and blamed the PS and the right to “enthusiastically obey orders coming from Brussels.”

At a press conference at the Jean Monnet European Center in Lisbon, representing the balance of PCP MEPs in the European Parliament, Paulo Raimundo accused the PS, PSD and CDS, “who now want to join Chega and IL”, of “compromising European capitalist integration on service of great powers and monopolies, with its federalist, militaristic and neoliberal nature.”

The Communist leader recalled that last week these five parties voted against the PKP draft resolution, which recommended the suspension of the Stability Program presented by the government, “and, curiously, they did so on the same day”, which the European Parliament approved with your participation . votes, new European fiscal rules.

The rules are “another attack on our sovereignty, another part of the greater ability of the European Union (EU) to determine options that only this country can make,” he criticized, arguing that what was needed now was “to provide more options.” strength and courage to face the current situation.

It does not give “greater support to the expressed will.” [pela UE]as well as PS, PSD, CDS, Chega and IL, in support, I would even say enthusiasm, of orders coming from Brussels,” he said.

The new European budget rules that came into force today were also criticized by the head of the CDU list in the European Parliament elections, João Oliveira, who assured that the coalition will fight “the blackmail to reduce public spending recently promised to the European Parliament by PS, PSD and CDS “

“The strength of the CDU [no Parlamento Europeu] has and will continue to make a difference in rejecting neoliberal policies, liberalization and privatization, commercialization of public services, attacks on social and labor rights, restrictive budget policies,” he assured.

João Oliveira also stressed that the CDU “will take part in the discussion of the financial prospects after 2027” and “will refuse to abolish the principle of unanimity, which mainly harms countries like Portugal.”

When asked if he fears that the European elections will demobilize voters and whether he believes that the election campaign will focus on European issues, as demanded by the Prime Minister, João Oliveira once again referred to the new European budget rules, stressing that AD candidates “will certainly seek to find elements of distraction or dissipation in the national reality.”

“The economic management reform and the Stability Pact were approved in the European Parliament by the votes of MPs from the PS, PSD and SDS and mean even more difficulties. (…) Naturally, in this aspect, AD candidates want to divert attention so that no one will hold them accountable,” he said.

With current PCP MEPs Sandra Pereira and João Pimento Lopes on his side, as well as the head of the CDU list for Europeans 2019, João Ferreira, who was succeeded in 2021 by Pimenta Lopes in the European Parliament, João Oliveira believed that the work done by the three of them had vindicated that the CDU is the “voice of the workers and the people” in Brussels.

According to a report published by the PKP, during the last term, from 2019 to 2024, the party’s MEPs “made more than 517 speeches in plenary sessions, around 525 written questions to the European Commission and Council, 3,076 voting statements and took direct responsibility for monitoring 71 reports.”

João Ferreira stressed that the last five years at European level have been marked by topics such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the approval of the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027, “marked by a reduction in transfers to Portugal”, the war in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the rise in costs life.

The European Union (EU) now has new community rules on deficits and public debt, given the reform of the bloc’s fiscal rules, which member states will begin to implement in 2025 after developing national plans.

Fiscal rules are planned to be resumed after being suspended due to Covid-19 and the war, but with new wording, despite the usual ceilings of 60% of gross domestic product (GDP) for public debt and 3% of GDP for deficits. .

It has also now been determined that public debt will be reduced by at least one percentage point per year for countries with a debt ratio above 90% of GDP (as is the case with Portugal) and by half a percentage point for those in between. ceiling and level of 60% of GDP.