LISBON, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa on Tuesday praised as "excellent" the Franco-German plan that aims to create a 500-billion-euro (546.6 billion U.S. dollars) fund to help the recovery of European countries after the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It is an excellent proposal for finding robust mechanisms for responding to the European crisis, seeking to safeguard companies, jobs and income," he told reporters on Tuesday.
According to Costa, it is necessary to finance an "effort to re-industrialize Europe that will allow an increase in strategic autonomy."
"Portugal is in a position to take a stand in this challenge and to be one of the good platforms for re-industrialization," he said.
Costa revealed that he had already started conversations with the French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
However, he acknowledged that there were still some "open" aspects.
"How is that money distributed among the different member states? Will it be on the traditional terms of community funds, by transfer, or will it be through loans?," he asked.
Costa also said that it was necessary to define "what will be the allocation of the recovery fund, whether by the traditional criteria of cohesion or by sectors (such as tourism) or by regions most affected" by the pandemic.
Regarding the disagreement already voiced by countries like the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark, Costa stated that it was necessary to "learn to live together."
"A constructive spirit, openness to dialogue, looking for the best solutions and trying to understand the point of view of others for a consensus" are what Costa said he expected.
"The Franco-German proposal is not ideal, but it is a good sign that there is a willingness to compromise and move forward," he said. Enditem
