The Minister of Internal Administration praised this Friday the capabilities of Eduardo Cabrita to be executive director of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), after the former president presented his candidacy for the position.
In statements to Lusa on the sidelines of the reception for the European Commissioner for the Interior, Ylva Johansson, José Luís Carneiro began by not wanting to address the candidacy of the former head of the Ministry of the Interior (MAI). However, he ended up praising Eduardo Cabrita and acknowledging his ability to lead that European agency.
“It is someone who has the human qualities, civic and political competence to perform these functions. (…) It is not for lack of qualities and skills that he will not be chosen,” he said.
José Luís Carneiro stressed, however, that it is “a very competitive and complex matter”, given the existence of dozens of candidates for the position.
In this sense, the minister sent Eduardo Cabrita more in-depth explanations about the future direction of Frontex, whose candidacy the former governor confirmed to Lusa on October 7.
Eduardo Cabrita is a candidate for executive director of Frontex. The government has known since July
Eduardo Cabrita presented his candidacy in July after the publication, on June 21, in the Official Journal of the European Union, of a vacancy for the post of Executive Director of Frontex.
The contest is still ongoing and the decision, by the European Commission, should be made by the end of the year.
The news of the candidacy was advanced by Rádio Renascença, which indicated that the candidacy was delivered in Brussels by the former Minister of Internal Administration and the Government was immediately informed of this intention.
According to Renascença, the selection process began in April and, in total, 78 international candidates were submitted.
Frontex has been without a director since April, when Frenchman Fabrice Leggeri resigned from his post following the conclusion of an investigation by the OLAF office (which investigates serious misconduct in the European institutions) into allegations of harassment, misconduct and illegal expulsion of immigrants.
Eduardo Cabrita resigned as Minister of the Interior Administration in December 2021, after the controversy surrounding the car accident in which he was traveling in June of that year, in which a worker died on a work in progress on the A6, in the area from Evora.
The Public Ministry has already prepared the final order on this accident, having closed the case against the former minister and his head of security and accused the driver Marco Pontes of manslaughter.
Source: Observadora
