The leader of the PSD parliamentary group, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, reacted this Thursday to the denial by the Ministry of Territorial Cohesion to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food on the future organic law of the CCDR, stating that the Minister of Agriculture, Maria do Céu Antunes , “has played a rather regrettable role”.
“There is a contradiction here between two members of the Government in a relevant area and in an area where unfortunately the Minister of Agriculture has played a very regrettable role, with contradictions, errors, controversies and ineffectiveness”, said Miranda Sarmento.
“The Minister of Agriculture had said here in Parliament that the functions of the regional directorates of agriculture would pass to the vice-presidency of the CCDR [Comissões de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional] and today we have an indication, on the part of the Minister of Cohesion, that, after all, it will not be like that”, he added.
O PÚBLICO reported this Thursday that, contrary to what the Minister of Agriculture had revealed in an interview, the future organic law of the CCDR does not provide for the obligation that one of the four vice-presidents of these entities has responsibility for Agriculture, nor does it establishes that the current regional directors of Agriculture are vice-presidents of the future CDDR.
PSD wants to hear resigning DGAL leaders
Adding to this note, the leader of the social-democratic bench, who was speaking to journalists after a meeting of the PSD parliamentary group, also announced that he would call the resigning leaders of the Direcção Geral das Autarquias Locais (DGAL) to Parliament
“The PSD will call the now resigning directors of the DGAL to the Local Power commission to understand what led to a massive resignation in this important directorate-general of local authorities”, said Miranda Sarmento.
On Wednesday, the DGAL board resigned en bloc. According to Rádio Renascença, the Minister of Territorial Cohesion, Ana Abrunhosa, later confirmed the information in a response to deputy Luís Gomes, from the PSD.
“The general director of DGAL presented her resignation approximately a month ago, citing personal reasons”, said the minister at the parliamentary commission for Spatial Planning, adding that in March there will be a new team.