At the event marking 40 years of Portugal’s accession to the EEC at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, Chega leader André Ventura highlighted the consensus on the significance of Portugal’s participation in the European Union, while noting missed opportunities.
“Millions and millions of European funds were absorbed by a political class often corrupt, by elites often corrupt, who retained a large portion of this money,” he remarked, adding that the “European Union also needed to focus on fighting corruption.”
Mariana Leitão, the parliamentary leader and candidate for the Liberal Initiative party leadership, characterized Portugal’s entry into the European Union as a “historic moment” that marked the “consolidation of democracy and critical importance for the country’s development.”
However, Leitão warned of “two future challenges”: the necessity for investment in defense and the importance of Portugal preparing for a “drastic reduction” in community funds or even their end.
During the ceremony, Livre spokesperson Isabel Mendes Lopes emphasized that Portugal’s entry into the then EEC was vital in building Portuguese democracy and that the European project remains crucial for the future.
Isabel Mendes Lopes pointed out that only democracies can join the European Union but stressed the need for them to “remain democracies,” considering this one of the challenges of the coming years.
Citing “the rule of law in jeopardy in several European Union countries,” the Livre parliamentary leader called for “a renewal and deepening of European values to build a true European democracy” based on human rights.
CDS-PP President Nuno Melo stated that the party has been “fully committed to the European project” since its foundation, affirming that “Portugal’s accession to the EEC was already a project outlined in the founding documents of CDS and confirmed in all revisions of all programmatic plans.”
