Meeting of the Council of Ministers on December 21, 2020
Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on December 21, 2020
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace, in Dili, and approved, with amendments, the Law Proposal draft, on the General State Budget and public financial management framework, presented by the Minister of Finance, Rui Augusto Gomes. This Law Proposal draft proposes a new framework for the General State Budget and public financial management, replacing the Law 13/2009, of October 21st, on the Budget and Financial Management. The law draft incorporates a series of changes and improvements to the General State Budget and public financial management regime, in order to increase clarity, stability, flexibility and transparency. The amendments relating to the definition of the budgetary perimeter, multiannual budgetary planning, the adoption of programme budgeting, the extension of the General State Budget law, the duodecimal implementation regime and the improvement of the budgetary information produced, are highlighted.
The first amendment to Decree-Law 48/2020 of October 7th, on the measures to support families, through the attribution of a “basic basket”, and the local economic operators, within the scope of the Economic Recovery Plan, and creates a Special Procurement Scheme for that purpose, was also approved, with amendments. This Decree-Law draft was presented by the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Joaquim Amaral. The experience of applying the diploma, namely through the activities performed during the pilot phase, demonstrated the need to make some changes, in order to provide the normative solutions enshrined in the diploma with greater feasibility and effectiveness.
The Council of Ministers approved three Government Resolutions drafts, presented by the Minister of State Administration, Miguel Pereira de Carvalho, for the appointments of Olivio Freitas to the position of President of the Municipality Authority of Baucau, Domingos Savio to the position of Administrator of the Municipality of Lautém and Januário Soares for the position of Administrator of the Municipality of Viqueque, on a service commission for a five years mandate from the date of taking office.
The Government decided to propose to His Excellency, the President of the Republic, Francisco Guterres Lú-Olo, the state of emergency’s renewal, for another thirty days. Given the worrying evolution of the epidemiological situation and the proliferation of COVID-19 contagion registered cases, both at regional and global levels, and in order to avoid and neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 spreading risks, thus protecting public health and the National Health System response capacity, the Government proposes, to the President of the Republic, that with the renewal of the state of emergency, the suspension or restriction of the rights of international movement, circulation and residence and resistance may be allowed.
The Vice-Minister of Health, Bonifácio Maukoli dos Reis, presented to the Council of Ministers information on the Government’s efforts to acquire vaccines against COVID-19 and also regarding the vaccine’s distribution plan in Timor Leste. According to the information provided by the Vice-Minister of Health, the Government, with the support of development partners, has been conducting all necessary efforts, in order to the purchase of vaccines against COVID-19 and the preparation of a plan for the introduction and distribution of this vaccine in Timor-Leste.
Lastly, the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Armindo Maia, made a preliminary presentation for the consideration of the sports cooperation project, between the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOIKA). The project, with a value of US $ 6.5 million, aims to increase the participation of children and young people in sports, namely in football, through the construction of infrastructures and facilities. END
