TAP: Carneiro considers it a "suitable option" but wants 3,000 ME returned to taxpayers

" TAP must grow, and to grow, it needs to open itself up to international investors. That's why we believe this option is appropriate. We also believe that Portugal must maintain a majority shareholder, the majority of its capital, to ensure four primary objectives," said José Luís Carneiro in a statement at the headquarters of the Socialist Party ( PS ) in Lisbon.

The socialist leader, however, made two demands regarding this dossier, the first of which is that the privatization conditions established by the Government are not changed by "any shareholder agreement" during the process.

"Under no circumstances will we accept that the assumptions we've mentioned here can be made in a shareholders' agreement. I believe there are investors who are well aware of TAP's strategic and economic potential, and particularly the importance of the Lisbon hub in connecting with America, Africa, Asia, and Europe," he explained.

The "second requirement" is that the three billion euros invested by the State in the company during the pandemic "must, in the medium and long term, be reimbursed to Portuguese taxpayers," he said.

The PS leader, however, criticized the statement made by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, when he stated that the government does not want to continue "throwing money into a bottomless pit."

"I think it's a false statement," he said, arguing that Montenegro's statement, at a time when TAP's capital is about to be opened to private investors, "could contribute to its depreciation rather than its appreciation as a strategic asset of the Portuguese State."

When asked if he had spoken to the Prime Minister about this decision, Carneiro said that he had had the opportunity to "discuss this topic at other times," but "not today."

"The Socialist Party's position, however, is well known; it was included in our Government Program. The former Secretary-General and candidate for Prime Minister included our objective of ensuring the opening of TAP to private capital, while maintaining the majority of the capital in the hands of the Portuguese State, in his electoral program," he said.

Regarding the need for Portugal to maintain the majority of the shareholder structure, Carneiro considered that this must happen to ensure four objectives, the first of which is the guarantee that the hub will be based in Lisbon.

"Second, ensuring a connection with Portuguese communities abroad, as a strategic factor in Portugal's global affirmation. Third, TAP must also continue to function as an instrument for the development of our economy, which is largely based on tourism," he added.

The fourth objective is for the airline to continue "to be a factor of territorial cohesion, ensuring public service to the autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira and also ensuring coordination and public service to both Porto and the Algarve."

It should be noted that the government today approved the decree-law that begins the process of reprivatizing TAP and in which it intends to sell, in the first phase, 49.9% of the airline's capital, the Prime Minister announced.

Luís Montenegro made a statement to journalists at the official residence, in the middle of the Council of Ministers, without the right to questions.

"We've already spent a lot of money that hasn't had any impact on the lives of Portuguese people. We don't want to continue pouring money into a bottomless pit. We want the company to be profitable, well-managed, competitive, financially sustainable, and serving the country's strategic interests," he said.

Photo: José Luis Carneiro.