Speaking to Lusa, the president of the CES (Economic and Social Council), Luís Pais Antunes, pointed out that the law does not stipulate or impose a deadline for delivering the opinion on the Major Options (GO), emphasizing that in the case of the opinion on the GO proposal for 2024-2028, the process is “within the timings” and following “the procedures it has always followed.”
“It’s a process proceeding normally, exactly under the same circumstances and in a timing that is substantially identical to the usual,” stated Luís Pais Antunes, who assumed the presidency of the CES in July.
In addition to the request for an opinion on the draft bill for the Major Options for 2024-2028, which he received in July, the Government also sent requests to the CES, as per the law, for opinions on the 2023 General State Account and the revision of the National Energy and Climate Plan.
In all these cases, Luís Pais Antunes added, the draft opinions have already been prepared and “are currently under discussion” in the respective specialized committees, where they will still need to be approved before being sent to the CES president.
Once these steps are completed, it is then up to the President of the Economic and Social Council to schedule the voting of the opinions by the CES Plenary – which may approve or reject them.
When asked if he believes the opinion on the Major Options could be considered by the plenary still during this month, Pais Antunes said he couldn’t state when it would occur, noting that in the last two years, this happened in the first week of October.
“I’m not in a position to say, because at this moment I can only initiate the process of scheduling the plenary after [receiving the draft opinion],” he stated, anticipating “that it’s most likely to be late September, early October,” considering the calendar observed in recent years.
Luís Pais Antunes’ statements come at a time when the PS (Socialist Party) has been demanding that the Government fulfill its “legal information duties” to the parliament within the Framework of the Budget Framework Law (LEO), reiterating that documents affecting the negotiation of the 2025 State Budget (OE2025) are missing, namely the Multi-annual Public Expenditure Framework and the CES opinion on the Major Options.
“There is neither an opinion that is hidden, nor a forgotten opinion. We are doing what the CES has always done, under substantially identical circumstances and in substantially identical timeframes,” stated Pais Antunes.
Noting that there was some uncertainty about what’s happening with the CES opinion and even some “information deficit” on the issue, Pais Antunes emphasized that the process is proceeding as usual.
“It’s happening exactly as it always has. There’s a procedure, there are rules being observed. It’s not forgotten,” he stated, saying it’s “obvious” that “if the process of drafting the opinion had already been concluded,” they would already be “in the phase of convening the plenary to approve or not approve the opinion and send it according to legal terms.”
