Ukraine war altered government programme

  • Lusa
  • 1 April 2022

The deputy minister of parliamentary affairs announced that the government programme has been readjusted to "respond to the economic and social consequences of the war" in Ukraine.

The deputy minister of parliamentary affairs, Ana Catarina Mendes, said on Friday that the government programme has been readjusted to “respond to the economic and social consequences of the war” in Ukraine.

In a statement to journalists after formally handing over the government programme to the speaker of parliament, Augusto Santos Silva, Ana Catarina Mendes explained that the document “contains all the electoral commitments” made during the campaign by the Socialist Party to “respond to the issues of the pandemic, the Portuguese and their problems”.

“But evidently, after February 24, not only has the world changed but also Portugal, and it was necessary to respond to the economic and social consequences arising from the war. This government programme has been readjusted precisely so that we can respond to all the challenges that have been posed to the world and to Portugal in the face of this reality,” she said, referring the measures in detail at the press conference this afternoon by the minister of the presidency, Mariana Vieira da Silva. It should be noted that the Portuguese government took office on Wednesday.

Mendes also took the opportunity to underline that this government programme is for “a long legislature”.

“We will be here for four and a half years to serve the Portuguese, to fulfil what we set out to do, continuing to reaffirm our commitment to the voters who trusted us so that with stability, predictability and security we may continue to have a good electoral programme and above all a good country, a more developed country where people may live better”, she concluded.