The Government appointed this Thursday, in the Council of Ministers, a new vice-president for the Mobility and Transport Authority (AMT), despite Parliament having signaled a positive assessment of the nominee.
When appointing regulators in Portugal (with the exception of Banco de Portugal), the Government has to submit the names of those nominated to Cresap, a body that assesses the suitability of senior positions in the State, and to a parliamentary hearing, from which minutes are published. voted by the corresponding committee.
This is what happened with the name chosen by the Government for vice-president of the AMT. The director of the Center for Applied Studies and the Center for Studies and Opinion Research (CESOP) at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa was approved by Cresap, which concluded that his skills were adequate, but later there was a report with a negative evaluation from the Economy, Works Commission Public and Housing, voted in favor by the PS and Chega, with the vote against by the PSD, which concluded that “Ricardo Reis does not meet the conditions to hold the position for which he is nominated”.
“There are no sufficient reasons to conclude that you have as skills adequate professional (skills)”, says this report, cited by Lusa.
According to the news agency, Chega initially approved the nominee, but postponed the vote on the document for a week and ended up giving a negative rating, alongside the PS, even suggesting that there was no exemption in its assessments in relation to the Government’s actions.
Montenegro had already signaled
Before this vote, but after Chega’s request to postpone the vote on the report, the issue had already received a position from the prime minister and the PSD. The Social Democratic parliamentary leader accused the two parties of acting under “strategic complicity”. In plenary, Luís Montenegro warned that the Government could ignore the position stated in the report.
“Parliament will say what it understands in its non-binding statement and in the opinion it will address to us. We have all respect for the statement made by the Assembly of the Republic, but I want to assure you on behalf of the Government that (…) we will not accept a negative opinion that does not have a sufficiently strong and consolidated basis and we will take our decision accordingly of designation”, assured the leader of the Executive.
The final position came in the form of a statement from the Council of Ministers. In addition to the new vice-president, the Government also approved the resolution approving the new AMT member, Carina Oliveira, who passed through Cresap and deserved positive consideration by Parliament.
Ana Paula Vitorino has led AMT since 2021
Luis Barra
Current deputy was appointed in 2015
The AMT is led by former socialist minister Ana Paula Vitorino, and the vice-president is Eduardo Lopes Rodrigues. “Professor Eduardo Lopes Rodrigues maintains his role as Vice-President of the AMT – Mobility and Transport Authority, until he is replaced”, AMT responded to Expresso about this situation this week.
Lopes Rodrigues has been vice-president of the AMT since the summer of 2015, and his mandate was four and a half years. He was not replaced at the time, remaining in office until effective succession.
Last year, a new member was appointed, Paula Machado, so the new team will have four members.
New vice earns less than the current one
The new vice president will earn less than his predecessor. As he was still under the previous regime, Lopes Rodrigues had a salary and representation expenses exceeding 14 thousand euros gross per month. The president, according to the current decision of the Remuneration Committee, given the legislation that came into force before her appointment, has a total remuneration close to R$ 11 thousand monthly gross.
The new deputy, also according to this decision by the Remuneration Committee, will be entitled to around 10 thousand euros monthly grossbecause there is new legislation.
The AMT is the regulator that oversees land, river and rail transport and infrastructure. Just this week, it recommended carrying out an external audit of the Plano Ferrovia 2020 investment plan.
Source: expresso.pt
