Brussels, 02/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - The president of Portugal, Anibal Cavaco Silva, said in Stockholm on Tuesday 1 October that Portugal may ask for some kind of help from its European patterns at the end of its current aid programme, due to end next year.
On a state visit to Sweden, Cavaco Silva said he was certain that Portugal would not need another bailout, but it had been decided a while ago by the European Summit that a country in receipt of aid and meeting the requirements of the negotiated programme could continue to receive aid from European institutions, and this could apply to Portugal. In mid-September, the governor said that a precautionary programme could be considered, as a backup to help Portugal raise funding on the money markets itself at the end of the aid programme in June 2014. Portuguese prime minister Paulo Portas said a precautionary programme was nothing like a second bailout. In Brussels on Monday 30 September, at a meeting with the president of Cape Verde, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said that a second aid programme was not being prepared. Portugal's lenders have been in the country since 16 September for a new assessment mission, which is expected to end over the next few days and which will be used by the troika to decide on disbursement of €5.5 billion of aid. (SP/transl.fl)