The decision by the Prime Minister to retain the majority of ministers in their respective posts, including Agriculture, indicates he has understood the message from the Portuguese: it is time to execute. Measures announced and necessary actions must be implemented without delay, stated Álvaro Mendonça e Moura, president of CAP, in response to Lusa.
The confederation specifically calls for the execution of the “Water that Unites” strategy, which involves establishing a national water network.
As discussions on the new Common Agricultural Policy (PAC) reform commence, the government is urged to advocate for a dedicated budget endowed with appropriate resources, increased simplification, and responses tailored to the national reality.
This also requires an acceleration of the execution of European funds.
For this to occur, it is necessary to address the growing dysfunctionality within the Ministry of Agriculture, Mendonça e Moura argued.
He further stated that Luís Montenegro’s government has all the conditions to realize the potential of the agricultural and forestry sectors, emphasizing that the previous government’s time for intentions has run out.
“[…] Now must be the government of execution. The country is tired of diagnoses and announcements,” he concluded.
The second government led by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro will feature 16 ministries, one less than before, retaining thirteen of the former 17 ministers.
New appointees include Maria Lúcia Amaral as Minister of Internal Administration, Gonçalo Matias as Minister Adjunct and of State Reform, and Carlos Abreu Amorim, elevated from Secretary of State to Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.
Departures include Pedro Duarte (Parliamentary Affairs), Margarida Blasco (Internal Administration), Pedro Reis (Economy), and Dalila Rodrigues (Culture).
Margarida Balseiro Lopes, previously Minister of Youth and Modernization, will now handle the portfolio of Culture, Youth, and Sports.
The two Ministers of State remain: Paulo Rangel, Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, and Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, Minister of State and Finance.
Luís Montenegro has made some organizational changes, creating a new Ministry of State Reform, while removing Economy and Culture as standalone portfolios. Economy is now linked to Territorial Cohesion, and Culture is part of the same ministry as Youth and Sports.
The swearing-in of the XXV Constitutional Government is scheduled for 6:00 PM today, 18 days after the elections, marking the fastest government formation process during Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s presidential terms.
