Meeting of the Council of Ministers of April 15, 2020
Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers of April 15, 2020
The Council of Ministers met at the Dili Convention Centre and heard a presentation by the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs in Office, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães, on the economic policy in response to COVID-19. During the presentation, forecasts of the economic consequences of COVID-19 and possible responses to be implemented in accordance with the evolution of the national situation were shown. Priority was given to supporting social distancing and health, protecting people and the most vulnerable, and supporting workers and businesses.
The Council of Ministers approved the draft Government Decree, presented by the Acting Minister of Finance, Sara Lobo Brites, on the rules for the execution of expenditure of the COVID-19 Fund. This Fund, created through Law No. 2/2020 of April 6 and regulated by Decree-Law No. 12/2020 of April 14, aims to finance expenses related to the prevention and fight against COVID-19. The Government Decree now approved establishes the rules for the execution of expenditure by the COVID-19 Fund, defining the procedure that must be followed by Ministries, autonomous bodies without own revenues and autonomous services to submit to the Fund the requests for payment related to measures to prevent and combat COVID-19. The procedure consists in the preparation of action plans that integrate each measure to prevent and combat COVID-19 to be implemented by the entity, the timing of the measure and its cost. The action plans will be considered by the Interministerial Commission for the Coordination of the Implementation of The New Coronavirus Outbreak Prevention and Control Measures, which will assess their suitability within the national strategy for preventing and combating COVID-19. All expenditure included in the action plans will be paid later through the COVID-19 Fund, in accordance with the mechanisms now in place. ENDS
