José Manuel Bolieiro calls for greater justice in "Azores' financial autonomy" - Communication

Presidência do Governo Regional

The President of the Regional Government, José Manuel Bolieiro, received the President of the National Assembly, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, this Wednesday at the Sant'Ana Palace, as part of his official visit to the Azores.

The head of the Azorean Government emphasised the importance of the relations between regional autonomy and the Portuguese state, stressing the need to strengthen the Region's political autonomy.

"It is essential that with each revision of the Constitution, we can consolidate and deepen the autonomy of our regions," he said.

He also defended that each revision of the Constitution of the Republic should be regarded as an opportunity to further develop this position, both for the Azores and Madeira.

José Manuel Bolieiro called for the importance of guaranteeing stability, predictability and consistency in the Region's financial autonomy, pointing out that the recent revisions to the Autonomous Regions' Finance Act were a step backwards.

"Unfortunately, we have seen a decrease in the autonomous regions' financial capacity, which we consider unfair and disproportionate," stressed José Manuel Bolieiro.

The need for the State to pay more attention to peripheral services in the autonomous regions, particularly in internal security, was also discussed.

He noted the importance of stepping up security forces' means and human resources, ensuring an effective police presence on all the islands of the archipelago.

"We need an adequate response to our geographical specificities, safeguarding security and peace of mind for all Azoreans," stated the President of the Regional Government.

José Pedro Aguiar-Branco began his official visit to the Azores on the island of Faial, where he visited the Regional Parliament, attended the ceremony marking the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Blue Azores Programme and visited the Okeanos Institute at the University of the Azores. In São Miguel, he delivered a speech on "Democracy and Participation" at an event attended by José Manuel Bolieiro. The visit ended with an audience at the Sant'Ana Palace.