The Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) was presented as a historic opportunity. An unprecedented financial injection to modernize the country, reinforce public services, improve infrastructure and prepare Portugal for the future. But as we approach the decisive deadlines, an uncomfortable question arises: are we really recovering Portugal or just managing expectations?
The official discourse continues to convey an excessively optimistic vision. However, the country does not need abstract optimism. Need precision. We need to know, accurately, what is achievable in the months ahead. We need transparency about what is at risk, about the works that may not be completed and about the financial consequences of possible non-compliance.
The rule is clear, unfinished projects may result in full refund of funds. We are not talking about specific cases. We talk about dozens of investments in the areas of Health, long-term care, social responses, local authorities, schools and health centers. Many of these entities have already taken on debt to carry out structural works. Remaining with projects at 70% or 80% completion and still having to return European funding can create dramatic unsustainable situations.
There are those who defend new revisions of the PRR. And it is true that some adaptations are inevitable, especially in the face of extraordinary events such as the recent bad weather that affected the country. But we cannot transform the exception into permanent justification. The central question is different: was Portugal prepared to execute this volume of investment? The evidence shows not.
The problems in implementing European funds did not start now. Over the years, Portugal has revealed structural difficulties in efficiently absorbing community funding. In the case of the PRR, execution levels continue to be below what is desirable in several areas. Public investment, which should act as a driver of transformation, remains below the announced needs and promises.
“Recover Portugal” cannot just be a slogan. Recovering Portugal means using every euro well, meeting deadlines, ensuring quality in execution and ensuring that projects respond to real needs. More than recovering, it is necessary to prepare Portugal, structurally, administratively and politically, to manage investments of this size.
Recent revisions associated with storm damage cannot serve to mask accumulated delays. Bad weather is a fact. But the inability to perform on time cannot be attributed solely to weather conditions. If the execution had been within the expected parameters, the risks would be lower today.
The country faces a decisive moment. Either we take on the problems realistically and introduce more demanding monitoring mechanisms, or we risk witnessing the return of funds and the paralysis of fundamental projects. The PRR is not just a line of financing. It is a test of the State’s capacity.
There is still time to correct course. But to achieve this, it is necessary to abandon complacent speech and adopt a stance of effective responsibility. Recovering Portugal requires rigor. Preparing Portugal requires competence. And that is the real question that arises today.
Economist and deputy of Chega to the Assembly of the Republic
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