The Prime Minister returned today, during the first fortnightly debate of this year, to enhance the evolution of the Portuguese economy, which grew again above the European average, according to data confirmed by the INE and Eurostat.Intervening this afternoon in the Assembly of republic, during the first fortnightly debate of this year, the Prime Minister again mentioned, in response to a question raised by the leader of the Socialist caucus, Ana Catarina Mendes, that Portugal was one of the three countries of the European Union, in addition to Cyprus and Lithuania, which has seen its economy grow above the European average, with public and private investment growing as well as exports and the deficit and debt falling.

A reality that, in António Costa's opinion, may justify the little interest that the theme has deserved on the more interested right, as he pointed out, in discussing "the bush" rather than debating and analyzing "the forest". António Costa reminded Rui Rio that, contrary to what throughout the year it was heard that the Portuguese economy was in an alleged slowdown, data and figures made public recently both by THE INE and Eurostat have revealed rather than that "Portugal increased its economy in the fourth quarter." There is a reason that explains what leads the opposition leader, rather than looking at the forest, to concentrate on a small vessel of a bush in the middle of the forest. After hearing a whole year talking about an alleged slowdown in the Portuguese economy, when the National Institute of Statistics (INE) reveals that Portugal recorded, in the fourth quarter, an acceleration of the Portuguese economy, there the theme of the economy it is no longer something that worries the opposition," said António Costa." We also know that growth continues to be based on private investment, which has grown by 34% since 2015. And that's exactly what hurts on the right, which aimed to convince the country that the only way to attract foreign direct investment was to maintain austerity policy," he added. Circular line showed the linkof the rightIn relation to the destination of community funds for the project of the lisbon metro circular line, a theme also raised by the leader of the main opposition party, the Prime Minister was taxing in stating that there were EUR 83 million of Community funds from the current Portugal 2020 framework for the implementation of this line, and now, as a result of the lead determined by Parliament, it is "materially impossible" to redirect this money in a timely manner to another lisbon metropolitan line.António Costa confronted the parties that voted for the lead of the option of the circular line, in particular the right-wing parties, recalling that the project of this line did not begin to be approved by this Government, "but by a Government of the PSD", lamenting that the same party now, in a "frivolous way", supported the suspension of the project.