The former leader of the PSD, Luís Marques Mendes, says that Portugal will receive “a mass kite” from the European Union if there is an agreement in Brussels. “We will receive almost 12 billion a year, between lost funds and loans,” he said, although before entering the SIC studio for his weekly comment, the outlook for agreement was “not very positive”. In addition, Marque Mendes spoke of the BES case, whose accusation marked the last days, released the results of a survey that puts the PS in first place and praised the hiring of Jorge Jesus. He just didn’t mention the big case that ended this week: Cristina Ferreira’s departure from SIC for TVI.
The 27 try to settle at the dinner table after another intense day of negotiations
The state adviser also spoke of the economic recovery plan that is being discussed in Brussels this weekend by the leaders of the European Union’s member states. “Up to now, we have received about 3.7 billion euros a year from European funds”, he recalled, concluding that Portugal could start receiving “almost 1 billion euros a month”, such “mass kite”. However, there are “three countries are doing arm wrestling”, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark.
At the moment, in the negotiations, countries like Portugal have already managed to reduce the non-refundable money to 450 billion, but the other countries want to go further 350 billion. “It is not easy”, he assumed. “If Europe does not reach an understanding it is to start the week with a punch in the stomach,” he said.
“After the resolution fund, we can receive between 23 and 27 billion,” he said. In other words, Portugal can “triple” the money. “We never had an opportunity like this,” he said. Nevertheless, he did not fail to mention the most important: “What remains to be seen is whether we will know how to use it (…). It is not enough to throw money at problems ”.
The 27 try to settle at the dinner table after another intense day of negotiations
Because of that, he recalled the António Costa Silva’s plan. From a strategic point of view “it is a good document”, he assumes. He has three ideas: “the idea of reindustrialization; the idea of betting on the railroad in the country, which is positive ”; and “the idea of a pact between the State and companies”. Nevertheless, it leaves three criticisms. First, this plan “says that everything is necessary”, not creating real priorities. In addition, there is a problem of “quantification”, “we need to know how much it will cost”, he said. Finally, the action plan is not “the commitment of goals, of objectives”, he says.
António Costa Silva’s recovery plan admits that recession may reach 12% this year
Marques Mendes confesses that he has not yet read the nearly 4,000 pages of accusation against BES managers, known this week after six years of investigation. A time that, for the commentator, has for the Public Ministry attenuating: “It is a very complex process”. Still, it is an “accusation that is solid, consistent and well founded”.
“The objective was to decapitalize the bank to try to save GES [Grupo Espírito Santo]”, He says. “Ricardo Salgado paid for everything with bonuses, rewards. We are talking about an octopus and a very serious case ”, says Marques Mendes.
Mendes believes that the process will culminate in convictions, however “the bad news is that this process will take seven to eight years to come to an end: two and a half years for instruction; two and a half years for the trial; two more for resources. If everything goes well”.
Marques Mendes did not fail to praise the former governor of Banco de Portugal, Carlos Costa, because he “did a great service” in advancing this case. And also to the former Social Democratic Prime Minister, Pedro Passos Coelho, who “refused” BES financing. “
It is not deifying Passos, but few prime ministers of the PS and PSD had the courage to do what Passos Coelho did ”, he says.
A third compliment for José Maria Ricciardi: “he was the only person who set foot in Ricardo Salgado”.
Marques Mendes also spoke about the return of Jorge Jesus to Benfica, which he classified as “a great personal victory” for the football coach. “5 years ago, Jorge Jesus left Benfica badly, pushed through the back door, with a lawsuit, the least he was called a traitor”, he points out. “Now he re-enters Benfica through the big door,” he says.
Now, Jesus’ return is an excuse by Luís Filipe Vieira, President of Benfica, to “cover up the club’s judicial problems”, says the former minister. That is why Benfica gave practically everything that was asked by Jorge Jesus, he accused.
As for other topics, Marques Mendes anticipated a poll that will be revealed this Monday by the baronet JN / TSF / AXIMAGE, in which the PS comes with 40.4% of the voting intentions, the PSD with 26.7%, BE with 8.5%, CDU with 6%, arrives with 5.2%, PAN with 2.6%, CDS 2.1%, and IL with 2.1%. “This is going to be a lot to comment on” this week, he says.
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