PM sees TAP privatisation in the next 12 months
In the parliamentary debate, the prime minister hoped that the state would not lose money with the privatisation.
The prime minister hopes that the privatisation of TAP will occur in the next 12 months, stating that “only if he were irresponsible” would he guarantee that the state will not lose money in the transaction, but he “hopes not”. In the second round of the debate on general policy with the prime minister in Parliament, MP Carlos Guimarães Pinto asked António Costa if he would confirm that privatisation “is a possibility on the table for the next 12 months”. “I hope so, is what is in the plans, I hope so,” the prime minister replied.
Guimarães Pinto stressed that when the German state sold the German airline Lufthansa, it received “more than €770 million than it had put in”, then asked Costa if he “considers the possibility of receiving, for the privatisation of TAP, an amount below that which taxpayers have injected there”.
“There is only one really relevant part of your entire question, which is that, thanks to Lufthansa having paid back to the State what it had received, it is now free, before the European Commission, to proceed with the acquisition of other airlines,” Costa explained. Insisting on the question he had previously asked, the Liberal Initiative deputy questioned the prime minister again if “the State will lose money with the privatisation of TAP.”
“I hope not,” Costa replied with Guimarães Pinto questioning the prime minister if, based on his answer, it could assume that he “hopes to privatise TAP for at least €3.2 billion.”
“I will not answer that question,” said the Portuguese prime minister.
