The PSD president acknowledged that there could be conditions for a “rapprochement” with the government on the future of the international airport, and said the Santarém-based project “should at least be considered.”
In an interview with the “Hora da Verdade” program on Rádio Renascença and the newspaper Público, the PSD leader says there is “no solution” on the matter and admitted that he only learned about the project from private investors who are defending the site. new airport infrastructure in Santarém, following a meeting he held at the end of July with Prime Minister António Costa on the subject.
“As part of the hearings that we are moving forward in PSD, we have already heard the technical promoters of this project and will not fail to take this into account in our assessment, this is a project that should at least be considered,” he said.
Regarding the future of the airport, Montenegro also believes that “there are conditions for a dialogue that could lead to a convergence of positions” between the government and the SDP, despite having only had one public meeting with the prime minister.
“If I didn’t have that attitude, I would say that I can’t talk to the prime minister. Strictly speaking, decisions should be made by the government, if the government’s decisions coincide with the position of the PSD, I think this is good for the country,” he said.
The PSD President also believes that Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport in Porto has the potential and opportunities to be part of a “more strengthened and combined” airport solution with the interests of the Portuguese economy.
“It would be bad if our airport development strategy did not have all the potential that Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport already has today,” he stressed.
With regard to pensions, and after announcing that the PSD would require a government decree calling for the payment of an emergency half pension in October (in anticipation of part of the increase due in January under current law), Montenegro says it is ready to help government to find another solution.
“I don’t think they can do in the context of pensions what the government has proposed for active people,” he said, referring to a lump sum payment of 125 euros in October for all citizens who earn less than 2,700 Euro. euro gross per month.
While PSD’s decision calls for a monthly support of €40 until the end of the year (only €160) for the lowest pensions, the PSD president says he admits a one-time payment could be made.
“I do not exclude myself from adapting our proposal to the justification of the entire decree, we do not want to change the decree from A to Z,” he said.
The SDP has criticized the government’s proposal to support pensioners, saying it creates an illusion and “gives zero” additional revenue over what the law stipulates, limiting itself to forecasting half of the expected increase and warning that it would result in a smaller increase in pensions from 2024.
In the same interview with Público and Renascença, in an excerpt published on Wednesday, Luis Montenegro accused the government and PS of “cutting one billion euros in Portugal’s pension system”, the expected cost of paying half of the additional pension in October.
The SDP leader expressed less willingness to discuss the current welfare legislation with the PS, unless the socialists say “in black and white, without composure that they are ready to carry out this reform”.
“We’re not going to support the PS strategy of forcing PSD to present solutions when it’s given management responsibility,” he said.
In the same vein, he warned that the Social Democrats would not accept the proposal put forward by the PS to change the model of the current debate with the government, abandoning the “limitation of dialogue with the prime minister.”
“The PS wants monologues, not debates, wants each party to speak only once, and the prime minister also spoke at once. This is a model unacceptable for the PSD,” he stressed.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
