In a speech at the Forte de Santiago de Sesimbra, at the opening of the PCP Parliamentary Days in the Setúbal peninsula, Paulo Raimundo recalled that "less than three weeks" remain until the European elections of June 9th and took the opportunity to criticize "the constraints and impositions of the EU".

The PCP leader considered that the Setúbal peninsula is a good example of a region that, "full of potential", is experiencing the "disastrous effects and consequences of right-wing politics and European capitalist integration".

Raimundo stressed that the region had a "robust and diversified productive apparatus", which suffered a "profound destruction" carried out "by the right-wing policies of successive governments, under the orders and kneeling before the EU directives", in addition to having lost a "strong fishing sector".

"Portugal, one of the largest fish consumers in the world, with one of the largest Exclusive Economic Maritime Zones in Europe, is simultaneously a country forced to destroy its fishing fleet and, surprisingly, is forced to import fish, fish caught on our own coast", he criticized.

Paulo Raimundo defended that Portugal "can, can and must produce more" and considered that it is necessary to have the courage to "open a path for this urgent and necessary process, which confronts the great interests".

"These great interests of those who think they own everything, always supported and defended by the EU guidelines, whose only objective they have, beyond the list of intentions and promises, is to further accentuate injustices, dismantle and privatize public services, pressure wages and pensions, get their hands on the workers' money that is in Social Security", he accused.

For Paulo Raimundo, these are the EU's objectives for Portugal which, "curiously, are all contained in the current Government's program".

"The Government that tries to convey an image that it is doing in a short time what previous governments did not do for many years, but, squeezed out the maneuvers and announcements, the Government's hurry is not to solve the problems of the majority, it is to open up space for business as quickly as possible for large economic groups", he said.

The PCP leader accused the Government of taking advantage of the "housing drama" to "expand speculation and serve real estate funds and banks", criticizing the "Construir Portugal" program presented by the executive.

"In the thirty advanced measures, there is not one to stop the increase in rents, to reduce bank payments, which even affects these interests. Quite the contrary, it opens the doors and windows for them. It is a case of saying that not even Vítor Bento could make such a good plan", he ironized.

The PCP secretary-general also criticized "the [Government's] number with IRS", which he considered only served to "reduce taxes on large capital", and the measure of the Solidarity Supplement for the Elderly which, he said, would only cover "about 140 thousand elderly people, out of more than two million that exist in the country, one million of whom are on the poverty line".

"He takes advantage of everything to expand the business and tries to find all the justifications for failing to fulfill the commitments made to teachers, security forces and services, doctors, nurses, assistants, technicians, justice professionals", he said.

Regarding the new Lisbon airport, in Campo de Tiro de Alcochete, Paulo Raimundo warned that neither the PCP nor the population would accept that "it would be reduced to one more advertisement for the country and another few billion euros in profits for Vinci".

"This process cannot go backwards, not even in thought: it is necessary to move forward even towards the phased construction of the airport", he said, adding that this should be the priority and not "the expansion of Lisbon airport, with the increased security risks for hundreds of thousands who live and work there".

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