Government rejects delays in negotiating the new community support framework

The government ensures that it has not neglected the preparation of the next community support framework (PT2030) and rejects criticism of delays. The Minister for Planning, Nelson Souza, speaking to Jornal de Negócios, says that the “macro-programming of Portugal 2030”, approved by the Council of Ministers on July 29, will be discussed with the social partners in September, following to Brussels the Partnership Agreement “at the end of September”.

Miguel Poiares Maduro, who was the minister responsible for European funds in Passos Coelho’s government and who was in charge of negotiating the current community framework, mentioned the delays, recalling that Portugal was the first to deliver the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement to Brussels, a milestone that cannot be repeated this time because Greece has already delivered its own.

Nelson Souza explains that the Portuguese government does not put the “financing instruments ahead of the 2030 strategy”, in which it’s working to respond to the challenges of the next decade, and reiterates that the first tenders of Portugal 2030 will be opened before the end of 2021. The minister in charge of funds recalls companies will count on €6 billion in PT2030 – €5 billion for the same type of support they already benefit from and €1 billion to encourage energy transition and decarbonisation, a way to comply with the rules defined by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The public discussion of the document will take place after the local elections, to allow the conclusion of the “operational programmes in late October, mid-November”.