After the inauguration, on Monday, of the new Minister of Finance, João Leão, and respective secretaries of state, Mário Centeno headed to the headquarters of Banco de Portugal to report to the service as a central bank manager. The same was done by ex-state secretaries Ricardo Mourinho Félix and Álvaro Novo.
The Economic Journal confirmed that at this time Mário Centeno, Ricardo Mourinho Félix and Álvaro Novo already have an office, each, on the eighth floor of the building on Avenida Almirante Reis, in Lisbon.
The president of the Eurogroup, until the 13th of July, thus returned to his place of origin before leaving to join the XXI Constitutional Government of Portugal formed based on the results of the legislative elections of October 4, 2015, after the coalition government right-wing Portugal to the Front, with a relative majority, did not obtain majority parliamentary support to take office.
Mário Centeno is a staff member with the category of director, but from 2014 he ceased to be deputy director of the economic studies office to become a consultant to the management of Banco de Portugal. This was his position before going to the Government in 2015.
Today, at 14:30 pm, at the same time that the Budget and Finance Committee (COF) was discussing the methodology and the legislative timetable for the bill presented by the PAN, on another committee the resignations of Mário Centeno and Ricardo Mourinho Félix were approved for the posts of deputies for which they were elected, and deputies in office in their place were confirmed.
Ricardo Mourinho Félix should go to the vacant seat in the vice presidency of the EIB. Portugal must appoint a vice president of the European Investment Bank by September.
The Budget and Finance Commission (COF) approved this Wednesday the methodology and the legislative calendar for the discussion on the specialty of the law called anti-Centeno, which intends to impose a period of disgust between the position of Minister of Finance and that of Governor Bank of Portugal. If, on July 3, the date stipulated for the final global vote is approved, this law could call into question the appointment of Centeno to Carlos Costa's place at Banco de Portugal.
During the discussion at the COF this morning, President Filipe Neto Brandão said that the hearing to the ECB (European Central Bank), invoked by the PS, was mandatory but not binding. The deputies also deliberated on the urgency of the ECB's hearing in 8 days, which was approved. The ECB thus has until 26 June to respond to the Parliamentary Committee, but if it does not do so by that date, it does not hamper the legislative process.
Throughout the session, the PSD recalled what happened in 2015, when the Government led by Pedro Passos Coelho renewed the mandate of the current Governor of Banco de Portugal. At the time, the PS passed a law (39/2015) that submitted the name proposed by the Ministry of Finance to a prior parliamentary hearing and to a non-binding opinion.
At that time, the law of 25 May 2015 changed the organic law of Banco de Portugal, with regard to aspects related to the appointment of the Governor, upon the renewal of Carlos Costa's mandate, and there were no hearings requested in the discussion in particular, the need to listen to the ECB has not been invoked. The law was finally approved, at the time, in 14 days with only a proposal to amend the CDS.
Thus, in order to be nominated for a second term in 2015, Carlos Costa had to go to Parliament to be subject to a parliamentary hearing - an instrument that was introduced, as proposed by the PS, but which is not binding, that is, even if all parties were against the Executive's option, the proposal could move on. Following that hearing by the parliamentary budget and finance committee, a report on the hearing had to be made.
This Wednesday, as reported the Economic Journal, it was unanimously defined that parliamentary groups have until this Thursday, the 18th, to indicate other people or entities that they want to hear, and the respective vote is scheduled for tomorrow.
The remaining stages of the legislative calendar were also approved and only the PS voted against. It was thus defined that the parties have until June 29 to submit proposals for amendments to the PAN bill. The PSD has already said that it considers the disgust period of 5 years to be very long and admits to proposing a reduction.
The vote on the specialty was scheduled for July 2, after the plenary session, and the final global vote was set for July 3, before the end of the mandate of the governor of Banco de Portugal, Carlos Costa, whose dates for the end of the period differ according to the beginning of the count (Parliament speaks on 7 July and the BdP on 9 July). This divergence depends on the beginning of the count between approval by the Council of Ministers, publication in the Official Gazette or appointment.
If on July 3 the law passes Mário Centeno, he is prevented from being proposed for Governor of Banco de Portugal. However, the Left Bloc and the PCP have already shown signs of being with the PS in this matter. The blockers have already said that they do not want an anti-Centeno law, nor do they help to hasten its approval. The former minister will have to pass a parliamentary hearing, and then Bloco and PCP will show political opposition - but they should not create conditions to prevent António Costa from appointing Mário Centeno as Governor.
António Costa, in the inauguration of the new Minister of Finance, already said that "in a democratic State of Law, 'ad hominem' laws with the function of persecuting people are inadmissible", referring to this law that was passed in general last week .
The Head of Government left this notice at the Palace of Belém, at the end of the inauguration ceremony for João Leão as Minister of State and Finance in place of Mário Centeno, after being questioned about the bill already approved in general, in Assembly of the Republic, which aims to establish a five-year period of disgust between the exercise of government functions and the performance of governor of Banco de Portugal.
The prime minister even said that the former head of the Finance portfolio “is a hypothesis” for the post of governor of Banco de Portugal (BdP), and that “he has all the conditions” to occupy the post of governor of BdP. “Even the BdP governor himself has already recognized it. I don't think anyone has any doubts about this matter ”.
António Costa said that he will discuss this matter with the new Minister of Finance, who has already said that Centeno is an “excellent hypothesis” for Governor. The prime minister also said that he will speak to the governor of the BdP beforehand about the timetable he has on termination of service, “beyond the official mandate”. "And, as I always said, I will never make a decision without listening to political parties," he added.
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After the inauguration, on Monday, of the new Minister of Finance, João Leão, and respective secretaries of state, Mário Centeno headed to the headquarters of Banco de Portugal to report to the service as a central bank manager. The same was done by ex-state secretaries Ricardo Mourinho Félix and Álvaro Novo.
The Economic Journal confirmed that at this time Mário Centeno, Ricardo Mourinho Félix and Álvaro Novo already have an office, each, on the eighth floor of the building on Avenida Almirante Reis, in Lisbon.
The president of the Eurogroup, until the 13th of July, thus returned to his place of origin before leaving to join the XXI Constitutional Government of Portugal formed based on the results of the legislative elections of October 4, 2015, after the coalition government right-wing Portugal to the Front, with a relative majority, did not obtain majority parliamentary support to take office.
Mário Centeno is a staff member with the category of director, but from 2014 he ceased to be deputy director of the economic studies office to become a consultant to the management of Banco de Portugal. This was his position before going to the Government in 2015.
Today, at 14:30 pm, at the same time that the Budget and Finance Committee (COF) was discussing the methodology and the legislative timetable for the bill presented by the PAN, on another committee the resignations of Mário Centeno and Ricardo Mourinho Félix were approved for the posts of deputies for which they were elected, and deputies in office in their place were confirmed.
Ricardo Mourinho Félix should go to the vacant seat in the vice presidency of the EIB. Portugal must appoint a vice president of the European Investment Bank by September.
The Budget and Finance Commission (COF) approved this Wednesday the methodology and the legislative calendar for the discussion on the specialty of the law called anti-Centeno, which intends to impose a period of disgust between the position of Minister of Finance and that of Governor Bank of Portugal. If, on July 3, the date stipulated for the final global vote is approved, this law could call into question the appointment of Centeno to Carlos Costa's place at Banco de Portugal.
During the discussion at the COF this morning, President Filipe Neto Brandão said that the hearing to the ECB (European Central Bank), invoked by the PS, was mandatory but not binding. The deputies also deliberated on the urgency of the ECB's hearing in 8 days, which was approved. The ECB thus has until 26 June to respond to the Parliamentary Committee, but if it does not do so by that date, it does not hamper the legislative process.
Throughout the session, the PSD recalled what happened in 2015, when the Government led by Pedro Passos Coelho renewed the mandate of the current Governor of Banco de Portugal. At the time, the PS passed a law (39/2015) that submitted the name proposed by the Ministry of Finance to a prior parliamentary hearing and to a non-binding opinion.
At that time, the law of 25 May 2015 changed the organic law of Banco de Portugal, with regard to aspects related to the appointment of the Governor, upon the renewal of Carlos Costa's mandate, and there were no hearings requested in the discussion in particular, the need to listen to the ECB has not been invoked. The law was finally approved, at the time, in 14 days with only a proposal to amend the CDS.
Thus, in order to be nominated for a second term in 2015, Carlos Costa had to go to Parliament to be subject to a parliamentary hearing - an instrument that was introduced, as proposed by the PS, but which is not binding, that is, even if all parties were against the Executive's option, the proposal could move on. Following that hearing by the parliamentary budget and finance committee, a report on the hearing had to be made.
This Wednesday, as reported the Economic Journal, it was unanimously defined that parliamentary groups have until this Thursday, the 18th, to indicate other people or entities that they want to hear, and the respective vote is scheduled for tomorrow.
The remaining stages of the legislative calendar were also approved and only the PS voted against. It was thus defined that the parties have until June 29 to submit proposals for amendments to the PAN bill. The PSD has already said that it considers the disgust period of 5 years to be very long and admits to proposing a reduction.
The vote on the specialty was scheduled for July 2, after the plenary session, and the final global vote was set for July 3, before the end of the mandate of the governor of Banco de Portugal, Carlos Costa, whose dates for the end of the period differ according to the beginning of the count (Parliament speaks on 7 July and the BdP on 9 July). This divergence depends on the beginning of the count between approval by the Council of Ministers, publication in the Official Gazette or appointment.
If on July 3 the law passes Mário Centeno, he is prevented from being proposed for Governor of Banco de Portugal. However, the Left Bloc and the PCP have already shown signs of being with the PS in this matter. The blockers have already said that they do not want an anti-Centeno law, nor do they help to hasten its approval. The former minister will have to pass a parliamentary hearing, and then Bloco and PCP will show political opposition - but they should not create conditions to prevent António Costa from appointing Mário Centeno as Governor.
António Costa, in the inauguration of the new Minister of Finance, already said that "in a democratic State of Law, 'ad hominem' laws with the function of persecuting people are inadmissible", referring to this law that was passed in general last week .
The Head of Government left this notice at the Palace of Belém, at the end of the inauguration ceremony for João Leão as Minister of State and Finance in place of Mário Centeno, after being questioned about the bill already approved in general, in Assembly of the Republic, which aims to establish a five-year period of disgust between the exercise of government functions and the performance of governor of Banco de Portugal.
The prime minister even said that the former head of the Finance portfolio “is a hypothesis” for the post of governor of Banco de Portugal (BdP), and that “he has all the conditions” to occupy the post of governor of BdP. “Even the BdP governor himself has already recognized it. I don't think anyone has any doubts about this matter ”.
António Costa said that he will discuss this matter with the new Minister of Finance, who has already said that Centeno is an “excellent hypothesis” for Governor. The prime minister also said that he will speak to the governor of the BdP beforehand about the timetable he has on termination of service, “beyond the official mandate”. "And, as I always said, I will never make a decision without listening to political parties," he added.