Portugal’s president António José Seguro has called for a broad consensus between the PSD/CDS-PP government and opposition parties so that urgent and long-term measures on housing can be adopted “with everyone’s contribution”.
“There is indeed a housing problem in the country and, therefore, it needs to be resolved. And if everyone – the government and opposition parties – contributes, then it is helpful for everyone to come to an understanding in order to find the best solutions to resolve the problems,” Seguro told journalists at Campus XXI in Lisbon.
The Head of State was speaking at the end of a launch event for the book “Álvaro Siza Vieira – Architect of Dreams” by Fátima Campos Ferreira, and was flanked by minister of the presidency, António Leitão Amaro. He noted that “there are several parties, as well as the government”, with initiatives ready to propose, if not to enact.
“Now we need to take the next step: we need to reach an understanding on these proposals, some through long-term policies – that is the understanding I have been calling for, that is the understanding – and others through urgent measures,” said Seguro.
“For example, students who struggle to pay for accommodation when they are away from home, or people who, even though they have a job, struggle to pay their rent because rents have risen and house prices have increased (…) We need to address this problem seriously and with everyone’s contribution. That is my appeal,» he added.
Seguro mentioned that he has been “drawing attention to the need to resolve this problem” since his inaugural speech in March this year.
On that occasion, addressing parliament, he announced that he would invite political parties to begin work towards achieving a cross-party commitment on healthcare that transcends political cycles, and expressed the hope that this “would be achieved in other essential areas, such as access to housing.”
In his speech last night, the president described the issue of housing as “a concrete, human problem” that requires ”equally concrete and human responses”, and is “one of the country’s central concerns (…)
“Housing is one of the central concerns of our time and of our country. It is here that human dignity and the home meet. And the home, here, is not a metaphor. Home is the centre of the world, just as the street, the neighbourhood and the city are the centre of communal life,” he said.
The speech was made in front of a number of political dignitaries and in the presence of former president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Source: LUSA
Natasha Donn
Journalist for the Portugal Resident.