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VTM
Pedro Passos Coelho em entrevista no domingo à SIC-Notícias, afirmou: “Se eu tivesse de equacionar um regresso à política ativa, tinha de corresponder à ideia de que tinha a obrigação e a possibilidade de fazer alguma coisa de diferente que não está a ser feito”.
Na sua intervenção no jantar comemorativo do primeiro aniversário da vitória de Pedro Duarte nas eleições autárquicas que o conduziram à presidência da Câmara do Porto, Luís Montenegro, sem nunca mencionar o nome do antigo primeiro-ministro social-democrata, garantiu que há um ano viveu um “dia de sucesso político do país, de sucesso político” do PSD e que, por isso, por estes dias, se alguns estão a ansiar o seu “insucesso político”, “como se diz aqui no Porto, é caso para dizer que têm de esperar sentados”.
A frase de Luís Montenegro surgiu em resposta ao apelo lançado pelo autarca do Porto na sua intervenção, quando pediu ao chefe do Governo para “não cair em tentações de olhar para trás”, entendendo que o PSD “não tem contas a ajustar com o passado e quer olhar para o futuro (…) e não preocupar-se com carreiras individuais de ninguém” na política.
O antigo primeiro-ministro disse ainda ter a expectativa de que o PSD possa vir a ser “bem-sucedido” na governação e que possa sair do que classificou como “armadilha política imensa” de fazer acordos ora com o PS ora com o Chega, considerando que tal impede o executivo de fazer reformas mais profundas.
“Se eu tivesse de equacionar uma possibilidade dessas, teria de corresponder a uma situação em que o PSD, visivelmente, não tivesse a possibilidade de entregar um resultado satisfatório, de fazer aquilo que o país precisa e eu achar que o poderia fazer. E se isso vier a acontecer, eu ponderarei e tomarei a iniciativa, se for caso disso”, assegurou.
A terminar a sua intervenção, Luís Montenegro disse ainda que o “PSD não ganha nada em estar acorrentado” a partidos à sua direita.
Questionado, à saída do jantar, se sentia ameaçado, Luís Montenegro negou-o, afirmando “nada disso!”.
The post Luís Montenegro aconselha quem espera pelo seu insucesso político a esperar sentado appeared first on A Voz de Trás-os-Montes.
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Montenegro and Albania are preparing for another round of European Union accession negotiations this week, with meetings in Luxembourg scheduled to advance their membership bids as Brussels considers substantial changes to the conditions under which future countries will join the bloc.
Montenegro’s 29th accession conference will take place on Monday, 12 October, followed by Albania’s tenth conference on Tuesday. The meetings come less than a week after the European Commission presented a package of proposals intended to prepare the EU for enlargement while strengthening its ability to respond to breaches of democratic standards by newly admitted members.
For Montenegro, the immediate objective is to continue closing negotiating chapters after years of institutional and legal reforms. Albania’s meeting has a more precisely defined agenda: the provisional closure of Chapter 20, covering enterprise and industrial policy.
Both countries have made progress towards membership, but the Commission’s latest proposals indicate that the terms of accession could become more demanding as the EU considers admitting several new members.
Montenegro is widely regarded as the most advanced candidate among the Western Balkan countries.
Accession negotiations began in 2012, and all 33 negotiating chapters have been opened. Progress towards closure has accelerated as the government seeks to complete the process and secure an accession treaty.
At the end of 2025, Montenegro provisionally closed five chapters covering services, capital movements, company law, agriculture and fisheries.
As EU Today reported following that conference, the agreements brought the number of provisionally closed chapters to twelve at that stage, while the EU continued to emphasise the importance of judicial reform and sustained implementation.
Subsequent accession conferences have continued the negotiating process, with the 29th conference scheduled for 12 October.
The Commission has identified Montenegro as a country capable of concluding accession negotiations by the end of 2026, provided sufficient progress is maintained.
That objective does not mean membership would follow automatically. A completed negotiation must still lead to an accession treaty, which requires approval by all existing member states and ratification under their constitutional procedures.
Outstanding questions include the independence of the judiciary, enforcement of anti-corruption legislation and the capacity of state institutions to apply EU law consistently.
Albania’s accession process has also gained momentum, supported by renewed EU interest in incorporating the Western Balkans into European political and economic structures.
The conference scheduled for 13 October is expected to provisionally close Chapter 20, which covers enterprise and industrial policy.
The chapter concerns the legal and institutional environment in which businesses operate, including industrial competitiveness, entrepreneurship and policies supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.
Provisional closure would represent further progress in Albania’s alignment with EU legislation and policy, although it would not constitute a final agreement on accession.
As with Montenegro, the negotiating framework requires sustained progress on the fundamentals of membership, notably judicial independence, fundamental rights, corruption and organised crime.
The latest accession conferences follow the European Commission’s proposals of 6 October, which address the institutional consequences of admitting new countries.
The Commission argues that enlargement can be accommodated within the existing treaties, but that the EU will need additional safeguards and improvements to decision-making.
Among the most consequential proposals is the possibility of suspending a new member state’s voting rights in the Council if it commits serious breaches of the Union’s fundamental values or the principle of sincere cooperation.
Such provisions would be incorporated into future accession arrangements, making some membership conditions enforceable after a country has joined.
The proposal reflects concerns that the EU’s existing mechanisms for responding to democratic backsliding can be slow and politically difficult to apply.
In June, EU Today reported on proposals advanced by five member states seeking stronger protections against governments that might undermine common decisions after accession.
The Commission’s October package develops that argument into a broader programme of institutional preparation.
The debate extends to Ukraine and Moldova, whose membership applications have acquired greater strategic importance following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Commission is examining how candidate countries can progressively participate in EU policies and programmes before obtaining full membership.
These arrangements could include greater integration in energy, transport, defence and selected areas of the single market, subject to the implementation of relevant reforms.
Brussels is also considering transitional arrangements affecting agricultural support, financial transfers and sensitive sectors of the economy.
The political challenge is to provide candidate countries with credible membership prospects while reassuring existing members that enlargement will not weaken common decision-making or create unsustainable budget commitments.
For Montenegro and Albania, the October conferences therefore take place at a pivotal point in the accession process.
Both governments are moving through the technical stages of membership negotiations while the EU is still determining how its next enlargement will operate.
The outcome will depend not only on their progress towards meeting accession conditions, but also on whether the existing 27 member states can agree on the institutional changes required for a larger Union.
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