Antonio Pedro Santos / LUSA
The Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, during the biweekly debate
Guarantee that the European Commission gave to Luís Montenegro, following the bad weather that affected Portugal in January.
The Prime Minister said he had received the guarantee and European Commission about what Portugal “will not lose or return” any PRR funds for projects that were not executed due to storms, stating that “an ingenious solution” will be found.
“We leave here with the guarantee that, between the Government of Portugal and the team of the President of the European Commission, a way will be found to ensure that Portugal will not lose or return any funds that have to do with these projects that will not be completed during this period because it is clearly impossible given the way they were affected by force majeure”, said Luís Montenegro at a press conference after the European Council summit in Brussels.
The Prime Minister stated that the European Commission expressed “total availability” to find with the Government “a solution, a path, the mechanisms that are necessary” so that Portugal “does not lose any of the financing and investment opportunities that were ongoing”.
“I can’t tell you exactly how this will happen.but it will certainly be under the rules that can have greater agility and flexibility here, without encountering any type of opposition or blockage from the other Member States”, he said.
When asked by journalists if he asked for an extension of the deadline for Portugal’s PRR, Luís Montenegro said no, but that he asked for “a solution that can comply with the rules and their flexibility in light of a force majeure motivation”.
“I can say that it will always be a ingenious solution, but he will, of course, have to guarantee that we will not miss opportunities resulting from an event to which we have no contribution”, he stated.
