Regional Government values marine resources, deep sea knowledge and blue economy, recalls José Manuel Bolieiro - Communication

Presidência do Governo Regional

The President of the Regional Government, José Manuel Bolieiro, accompanied by the Regional Secretary for the Sea and Fisheries, Mário Pinho, visited today the Azores Maritime School (EMA) and met with the Board of ADFMA-EMA.

This was an opportunity to learn more about the work that has been carried out by the Azores Maritime School, as well as its most recent project with the Museum Centre of the Naval Radio Station in Horta, which has been recovering heritage of relevant importance in the history of Faial island and society, now available for visit at EMA.

Since the beginning of its activity, the Azores Maritime School has trained more than two thousand students, providing more than 10 thousand hours of training.

José Manuel Bolieiro took the opportunity to announce the creation of the Regional Council for the Sea, which will join the existing Regional Council for Fisheries. He also highlighted the creation of a Maritime Forum, with the aim of positioning the Azores sea as a major priority for the future of the Region, the country and the European Union.

"We want to continue linking research and scientific knowledge to our desire to protect and promote our marine assets, deep-sea knowledge and the blue economy," he said.

He added: "We now have two decisive elements for dialogue and consultation."

José Manuel Bolieiro recalled that the Regional Government is "committed to the sustainability and safeguarding" of the Azores sea and is "focussed on the planning" of this resource.

"The Government intends to turn the blue economy into an economy of development, not one of extraction or exhaustion of resources," said the President of the Azorean Government.

He also pointed out that, according to the Basic Law on National Maritime Spatial Planning and Management Policy (LBGOEM - aka the Law of the Sea), the Region can draw up its Maritime Spatial Planning Situation Plan (PSOEM).

"We moved forward and took responsibility for this process, submitting our Plan to the National Government, by legal force, and we managed to get it approved without any substantial changes to what we had proposed," recalled José Manuel Bolieiro.

As for the prospecting, research and exploitation of metallic minerals, these activities are legally provided for in Portuguese and international legislation.

Accordingly, they should be considered in the Situation Plan, as is the case with other legally regulated uses and activities, avoiding a legal vacuum on this activity - although the inclusion of deep-sea mining in the Situation Plan is not synonymous with it being provided for, as indeed it is not.

The fact that the Regional Government has drawn up its Plan without defining potential areas for this sector means that it is impossible to grant private use licences for deep-sea mining of metallic minerals without the Region's approval.

The Regional Government, in light of the current technology and knowledge, is against mining due to significant environmental risks and limited knowledge. This position is fully aligned with the efforts to impose a moratorium on seabed mining by 2050.