The Minister of Economy, Manuel Castro Almeida, dismissed claims in parliament today that Portugal is lagging in the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), expressing confidence that the country will fully utilize the European stimulus package grants.
“My conviction—our conviction—is that we will completely execute the grants of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR),” stated Manuel Castro Almeida during a hearing at the Commission for Economy and Territorial Cohesion.
Castro Almeida countered criticisms from the Chega party parliamentary group, which argued that the Portuguese state is behind schedule because it has executed only three-quarters of the PRR to date. He noted that more than half of the planned milestones and targets have been met.
“We are not behind,” he insisted, stating that “things are under control, and it is difficult to say that Portugal is delayed in the execution of the PRR.”
“Portugal has set deadlines to meet the established milestones and targets. In all instances, we have met or anticipated these milestones and targets. In the sixth payment request, we were the second country to submit the payment request because the milestones and targets were met ahead of time. We submitted it 45 days before the deadline. So, how can anyone claim to be behind schedule when they are ahead of it?” the minister argued.
“If we want to be more precise, such as with the eighth payment period, almost all of the milestones and targets for the eighth period are practically met. The actual execution rate of milestones and targets is not 40% or 47% but exceeds 50% when considering the number of milestones and targets actually completed,” he continued.
At the same time, Castro Almeida noted that when comparing the certified milestones and targets with other European countries, “Portugal holds a favorable position,” with 17 countries more delayed than Portugal and nine countries more advanced. “Therefore, we are clearly in the first half of European countries,” he said.
