Duarte Freitas confident in full implementation of RRP-Azores - Communication

Secretaria Regional das Finanças, Planeamento e Administração Pública

The Regional Secretary for Finance, Planning and Public Administration, Duarte Freitas, expressed his confidence that the RRP-Azores will be fully implemented.

“Over the last 12 months, there has been a very significant acceleration in financial implementation. Given that larger-scale investments are nearing completion, this pace allows us to state, with confidence, that the RRP-Azores can be fully implemented in accordance with the applicable financial rules,” stated Duarte Freitas in Horta, during the plenary session of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores.

He emphasised: “The Government’s stance is clear - we will meet all the RRP-Azores targets."

The government official emphasised that with around two and a half months to go until the deadline for implementing the Recovery and Resilience Plan – August 31, 2026 – the Azores have already met 25 of the 40 agreed targets. This is “the result of the collective effort of public institutions, businesses, local authorities, private social solidarity institutions, families and professionals who, on the ground, are implementing and monitoring demanding investments within an absolutely extraordinary timeframe.”

According to the report for the first quarter of 2026, ten targets were "conditional" and five were "favourable," based on an additional technical assessment introduced by the Regional Government. An innovative approach nationwide, it classifies, for each period, the progress of each milestone and target as "Favourable," "Conditional," or "Critical" regarding the level of risk to their achievement.

“Today, we can consider that only seven targets remain subject to conditions. They are mainly associated with construction projects, which naturally carry associated risks and have very tight deadlines for completion,” emphasised the Regional Secretary for Finance, Planning and Public Administration.

Duarte Freitas recalled that, under the plan approved in 2021 (€580 million to be managed directly by the Region, plus a further €117 million to which local authorities could access through national calls for proposals), following the proposals submitted and the reprogramming approved by the European Commission, the figure now stands at around €895 million, comprising investments of €725 million secured by the Region, plus €170 million in investments already approved through national calls for proposals.

“This represents an increase of €200 million, or 28.5%, which reflects confidence in the quality of the projects and in our ability to deliver them. We will not achieve 100%, but rather 128.5%,” he added. The government official emphasised that, as far as the financial implementation under the Region's responsibility, the current figures stand at 54.1% in terms of implementation and 48.5% in terms of actual payments.

“We are now turning to a legitimate and relevant matter: the continuity of projects. The RRP was not designed to be permanent. It was a tool for responding to a crisis. It is now important to ensure sustainability,” emphasised the Regional Secretary for Finance, Planning and Public Administration. 

He added: “The 2027 Budget will reflect these choices, with a clear commitment to protecting people and ensuring the continuity of essential support measures. In this context, I can announce that the 'New Elderly' programme will continue in 2027.”

Duarte Freitas also announced that a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the RRP in the Azores is currently being prepared, as the Regional Government believes “that it is essential to assess the outcome of the implementation of these public policies.”