António Costa greeted an “orange tree”, took dozens of selfies with children and even gave a “green hug”. The prime minister was the center of attention at the celebrations this Friday, June 1, Children's Day, in Loulé, where he said that "trees are our friends." But the governor also spoke of the advance of oil prospecting, off Aljezur, justifying that "the country must know the resources it has".
Loulé Municipal Park welcomed 3 thousand students from the municipality for a national initiative by the Ministry of Education, which challenged schools to mark Children's Day, with forest preservation being the main theme.
To some of these children, from Escola EB1 nº3 in Loulé, António Costa made a request: «they have to tell the people who come to the beaches of the Algarve not to get them dirty». Up ahead, the Head of Government sat on the grass to listen to a story with rhymes, smiling.
But the main moment only arrived at 11:00 am, when António Costa, Tiago Brandão Rodrigues, Minister of Education, and Vítor Aleixo, Mayor of Loulé, got together, hand in hand with the children, to hug a tree in a symbolic gesture to protect the environment, as part of a government initiative.
Refreshed from the hustle, the prime minister spoke to journalists. This has been a year "in which the country has mobilized in every possible way to ensure that the forest is a good that we protect and that starts in childhood," he said.
For the ruler, at that time of life, "we all know that trees are our friends." Then, in adulthood, it is necessary "to try to have the forest clean and have a behavior that avoids the existence of ignitions", he added.
Faced with the issue of the advance of oil prospecting, off Aljezur, without an Environmental Impact Assessment, António Costa guaranteed that, if there is further exploration, there will be this study.
“Even when we have reached, in 2050, a phase of carbon neutrality, we will have to import 10 to 15 million barrels a year to continue to satisfy supplies. We cannot ignore that, for many, many years, the world will continue to consume oil and we pay a huge bill to foreigners», he considered.
Before leaving, António Costa still had time to rehearse some tennis strokes and ensure that, despite the morning of affection, he “never” competes “with President Marcelo”.
It is certain that the journey in the Algarve, for the Prime Minister, is not yet over.
After a visit to Refúgio Aboim Ascenção, in Faro, from 15:00, with the company of the Minister of Internal Administration Eduardo Cabrita, António Costa will be in Monchique, for a brush clearing, to visit the Madrinha guard post and the exhibition of the means integrated in the Special Device for Combating Rural Fires (DECIDE).
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