“If I were prime minister, I would not have authorized the changes made to the National Civil Protection Authority, which led to the dismantling of several intermediary structures,” stated José Luís Carneiro during a press conference in Lousã. This event was part of his tour along National Road 2 (EN2).
For the socialist leader, “only a party lacking a sense of state would have carried out the decapitation of intermediary structures in the National Civil Protection Authority.”
Regarding the government’s responses and measures, José Luís Carneiro believed that before announcing new programs or projects, the government should evaluate previous programs and reforms, particularly those implemented by the PS after the major fires of 2017.
The secretary-general of the PS noted that “a serious, rigorous, and methodical job” was carried out by the PS-led governments, and he deemed it unacceptable that the current government, led by Luís Montenegro, is sidelining this work “without prior dialogue.”
“The government cannot ignore these issues like a cat on hot bricks. It must effectively respond to the questions being asked and demonstrate that it is serving the country, as that is the primary obligation the government has to the Portuguese people,” he emphasized.
During the press conference, the socialist leader referenced various programs and measures advanced by the PS in the past aimed at enhancing the interior regions and preventing forest fires. He indicated that an evaluation of past initiatives and the current status of different projects funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) is necessary.
“The government proposes a new Forest Pact, but for us, aside from evaluating this Pact, which will be done in due course, there is a starting point. The starting point is for the government to explain to the main opposition party what it has done with the policy options that were rigorously planned, evaluated, estimated for investment, and subjected to public investment decisions. It is necessary to demand accountability for the execution of these development priorities for our country,” he stressed.
In his journey along the EN2 route, traversing the interior of the country from north to south, José Luís Carneiro revealed that the populations feel “disregarded by the prime minister.”
