José Manuel Bolieiro regrets Constitutional Court decision on Law of the Sea - Communication

Presidência do Governo Regional

The President of the Regional Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro, regretted today what he considered to be a "centralist attitude" on the part of the Constitutional Court as it declared some of the provisions of the so-called Law of the Sea unconstitutional.

"It is our belief that it is a centralist attitude," the President said, noting that the Constitutional Court has ruled that the management of the national maritime space falls under the "exclusive competence" of the state and cannot depend on the position of the autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores.

"The fact is that the Constitution says what the Constitutional Court says it says, but it comforts us to know that, for example, some Constitutional Court judges have voted against this ruling, even interpreting the current constitutional standards in force with regard to the sea and the Law of the Sea favourable to our arguments," stressed José Manuel Bolieiro.

And he added: "We firmly believe in the importance of the co-management of the sea and the role of the autonomous regions. They are maritime regions and should be involved in the management or co-management of the environmental and economic components of the sea."

As he added, the Azores acknowledge that "matters pertaining to the sovereignty of borders fall under the jurisdiction of the State, but co-management, linked to the economic and environmental management of the sea, must be shared with the autonomous regions."

 "This is a firm belief of the Azores and we will continue to defend this recognition, either within the framework of the law or within the framework of a future revision of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic," stated the President of the Government.