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  • 07-01-2021 22:37

EU/Presidency: Portugal's image damaged by 'the blurring of two lapses' - FM


Lisbon, Jan. 7, 2021 (Lusa) - Portugal's foreign minister on Thursday said that "the blurring of two lapses damages the image of Portugal", referring to the controversy surrounding the choice of the European Prosecutor José Guerra.

Augusto Santos Silva was speaking at a hearing in the Parliamentary Committee on European Affairs, during which PSD member of parliament Duarte Marques criticised the statements made by Prime Minister António Costa, who today blamed three social-democrat leaders for a campaign to denigrate the country's external image.

"Today's statements by the prime minister about three PSD leaders, who he accused of treason, are a disgrace and deepen the Portuguese embarrassment with this case of the prosecutor, whose responsibility is solely and exclusively the responsibility of the Portuguese government", Duarte Marques began by saying.  

"To think that such a case has no relevance is that it is essentially a betrayal of the rule of law and, in this case, the enemy of Portugal is the prime minister himself, whose action, in this case, puts Portugal in a bad light outside", he said.

The Social Democrat member of parçliament said, "what happened today in Portugal is also an attack on democracy", equating the prime minister's statements with Wednesday's invasion of the US Capitol.

Duarte Marques criticised the lack of action of the foreign minister, who "as the one responsible for the image of the Portuguese government and of Portugal [...] has to defend the role of the Portuguese presidency, which at this moment has been damaged".

Santos Silva said that "what damages the image of Portugal is the blurring of two lapses, which everyone understands are lapses".

The prime minister today accused Social Democrats Paulo Rangel, Miguel Poiares Maduro and Ricardo Batista Leite of being involved in a campaign to damage the country's external image during Portugal's presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Costa made this accusation at a press conference at the end of the cabinet meeting, after questioning the controversy surrounding the choice of European Public Prosecutor José Guerra and the situation of the justice minister, Francisca Van Dunem, in this case.

The prime minister said that PSD MEP Paulo Rangel, former minister Miguel Poiares Maduro and Social Democrat member of parliament Ricardo Batista Leite "are leading an international campaign against Portugal".

The European Parliament's President, Charles Michel, stated that the issue of the appointment of the European Public Prosecutor "is of no political relevance".

In a hearing this afternoon in parliament, the justice minister said she was in a position to continue in office, despite the errors in a note from the government, which justified José Guerra's choice as European Public Prosecutor, and which had international repercussions.

BYC/ADB // ADB.

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