Luís Montenegro stated that the Government wants to make up for lost time and “accelerate everything that can be accelerated so that we have the capacity to respond to services.”
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The Prime Minister stated this Tuesday that he wanted to guarantee, between now and the end of the year, a maximum period of 60 days to respond to requests for European funds, arguing that “it is better to say no than to always be waiting for a yes.”
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This Tuesday, Luís Montenegro presided over the signing of financing contracts for the construction and rehabilitation of schools with 12 municipalities of Lisbon and Vale do Tajo and once again criticized the previous Government regarding European funds, both in the Recovery Plan and in the Resilience that Portugal 2030 wants, where he said that the execution rate “is practically zero” and with “an important regulatory component that is missing”
Without regulations there can be no competitions and without competitions there can be no work on the ground. Our order is accelerate everything that can be accelerated so that we can have the ability to respond to services”, he said.
According to the Prime Minister, the executive he directs also noted “a certain inability of the services to respond to the requests presented.”
it is our intention recover lost time and, at the end of the year, have a maximum period of 60 days to respond to all requests submitted. It is better to say no than to always be waiting for yes,” he stated.
According to Montenegro, it is this principle that the Government wants to implement “so that administration is fast respond and public or private investors will be able to know what they can count on.”
As an example, he explained that the agreements signed this Tuesday were signed “in record time”, since the contest ended on April 30.
“It is a first package, within the scope of the Coordination and Regional Development Commission of Lisbon and the Tagus Valley of 125 million euros of investment, there are 14 projects that have a much greater scope, a package of 53 [candidaturas] and a much larger investment, of about 500 million euros,” he stated.
The Prime Minister promised to try “arrange financing means”for the 39 applications that were not accepted under the PRR.
The Vice Minister is already in an advanced stage of efforts so that, within the Government, we achieve financing mechanisms to secure full financing to resolve all these applications”, he said, admitting that it was an “enormous effort” justified by the value of the school.
Within the scope of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), the school rehabilitation program has a global allocation of 450 million euros, of which 125 million will be allocated to the Lisbon Region and the Tagus Valley.
The 12 municipalities covered by the signing of the agreements this Tuesday – whose 14 approved applications will have 100% financing from the PRR – are Tomar, Vila Franca de Xira, Loures, Chamusca, Barreiro, Alcobaça, Alcanena, Amadora, Cascais, Ferreira do Zêzere, Oeiras and Mafra.
On the Government side, in addition to the President of the Government, the Vice Minister and Minister of Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, who is in charge of managing European funds, and the Secretaries of State for Planning and Regional Development, Hélder Reis, are present. , and the deputy and Education. , Alexandre Homem Cristo.
Source: Observadora
