The Minister was speaking in Lisbon at a joint press conference with his French counterpart, Michel Sapin, where they discussed the future of the European Union.
When reporters asked about Novo Banco – and its sale to Lone Star, which newspaper Público reported that same day was “just waiting for European Central Bank (ECB) approval, and 17 March was “the desired deadline to close the deal” – Centeno only added that “the process is expected to take place in the coming weeks”.
“But I don’t want to give a date”, he concluded.