TAP: PCP, Livre, BE and PAN criticize the "wrong choice" of privatization and question the rush

In statements to journalists in Parliament, the parties reacted to the decision taken today by the government in the Council of Ministers to begin the process of reprivatizing TAP with the sale, in the first phase, of 49.9% of the airline's capital.

For Livre, MP Jorge Pinto stated that this decision "although not surprising, is wrong", especially because TAP "began to make a profit from the moment it came under public control".

"Of all the major projects for the country in areas such as infrastructure and mobility, the only one with a set date—the end of the legislative term—is the privatization of TAP. The third crossing over the Tagus and the new airport have no date, and the high-speed train has no date," he noted.

On the other hand, according to Jorge Pinto, the government "puts itself in a bad negotiating position" in this privatization process by establishing a timetable for the sale of part of the capital of the national air carrier.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” he asked.

Portugal, according to the Livre MP, "has unique conditions with regard to its population, with a large percentage of emigrants, but also due to the fact that the national territory comprises two archipelagos."

"And we have a historical connection to countries that were former Portuguese colonies. All of this justifies the importance of having a national flagship company, something Livre has always championed," Jorge Pinto added.

The PCP's general secretary, Paulo Raimundo, questioned "the government's haste" in carrying out this privatization, which he called an "economic crime," arguing that it is an asset "which not only cannot be disposed of by the State, but must also create conditions for it to play a more active role."

When asked about the fact that the State maintains majority control of the airline at this stage, Raimundo said he had "seen this movie before" with other privatizations.

"From one moment to the next, the State ceases to be the majority shareholder, if not to cease to have a presence," he said, considering that the most serious issue is "the wrong decision to privatize TAP."

The sole deputy and coordinator of the Left Bloc, Mariana Mortágua, presented three arguments why the party opposes this privatization.

"The first is a political and sovereignty argument: TAP is the only company left and is still Portuguese," he said, citing previous privatizations of EDP, CTT and Galp as examples.

On the other hand, he highlighted that the airline is "one of the most important companies for the Portuguese economy" in terms of Social Security contributions, but also for exports.

"Finally, the financial argument: TAP is profitable, we don't want what happened with Novo Banco to happen again," he said, adding that "there is no good reason to accept the privatization" of the airline.

PAN's sole member of parliament, Inês de Sousa Real, called for the "protection of workers" to be guaranteed and argued that in the state of the nation debate next week, the Prime Minister should provide "answers on the benefits of this privatization."

"We regret the insistence and stubbornness in this privatization because they are selling one of the most important assets for the country," he criticized, defending "a public consultation on the privatization of TAP."

Filipe Sousa, the only JPP member elected for Madeira, considered that "when the public service fails, privatization can be an objective", but he warned that it is necessary to know the specifications and more details about the operation.

The MP also defended the need to safeguard certain routes, "mainly with the autonomous regions and the diaspora."

Photo: TAP Air Portugal.