Panama's President José Raúl Mulino expressed hope that the Panama Canal will become a national issue. "I hope the Panama Canal is part of a national issue like this, however I cannot interfere in the Canal and I respect, as the Constitution and the law say, what they decide," Mulino said. According to Mulino, these lists are political, and he acknowledged that "there may be technical flaws that can be remedied without sanctioning a country like Panama, which means a lot to them." The president noted that Panama's solution is "to give back the same amount" as much as possible, and that has to do with "bidding processes, which are large and important, where any company in the world would be interested in participating, but until that situation is resolved, that ban will continue," he assured. Although he asserted that as president he cannot get involved in Panama Canal issues, José Raúl Mulino said he hopes the Canal will become part of the national agenda. The president's reaction comes after he was asked about the presence of companies of European origin and capital in the prequalification of the works that the Panama Canal is about to put out to tender. The president noted that he is aware that "this (the veto) has caused concern in the European business community." He said he was informed that the parent company of a major shipping company is going to take some action with the French government to have Panama removed from the discriminatory lists. Mulino previously said he would not allow European companies to participate in government tenders if the European Union keeps the country on its discriminatory list. "We have to earn the respect of the Europeans. Panama is preparing not only for the construction of two new ports and a gas pipeline, but also for projects such as the planned railway to Chiriquí, as well as important road works in the rest of the country and other ports." "I'm not going to halt any project that's underway with European companies; that's not even on my mind," Mulino emphasized. "I spoke about tenders starting from the announcement onward."
