Lacerda made the comments to journalists at the presidential palace after an audience with de Sousa at which he was invited to take over the role.
“The president has given us the honour of accepting [our invitation] and [allowing us] to outline the activities of Cotec, what are the strategic priorities that we have defined and what we propose to do,” he said. “The president expressed his support.”
According to the statutes of Cotec, “the incumbent President of the Republic will take on the office of Chairman of the General Assembly of the association, if he expresses his readiness to perform this role.”
De Sousa is thus to succeed his predecessor as president of Portugal, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, as chairman of Cotec, which currently has some 370 members.
Cavaco Silva’s predecessor, Jorge Sampaio, also chaired the assembly. Cotec Portugal was set up in 2003 on his initiative, and was supported by the then government and joined by companies whose output in 2002 had represented some 18% of gross domestic product.