The Secretary of State for European Affairs, Tiago Antunes, follows a rule: in the portfolio of European affairs, he does not talk about national affairs. At the same time, by his own admission, the two realities are increasingly linked. In an interview with the Observer, within the framework of the SummerCemp event of the European Commission, the official guarantees that the Government is not delayed in the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) and that it only requested an extension of the deadline (beyond 2026) so as not to concentrate a “counterproductive” public investment in the next four years.

In the Ribeira Grande Power Plant, in the Azores, Tiago Antunes thus rejects the PSD’s criticism that the Government is being incompetent in the management of the PRR and even says that the PSD itself has already defended what it now criticizes. The Secretary of State for European Affairs does not, however, want to “get into controversy” with the largest opposition party and points out that nothing has changed regarding the European consensus between the PS and the PSD with the replacement of Rui Rio by Luís Montenegro .

On the departure of António Costa for a European position, Tiago Antunes insists that Costa is “engaged in governance, for four years” and that this is an “old-fashioned” discussion. The official also aligns himself with the prime minister in the idea that Ukraine will take many years to join the European Union and that, before that, the 27 must “reflect” on the “financial implications” of that accession.

“There is no delay in the PRR”

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