Communiqué from the Council of the Government - Communication

At the end of this statutory visit to Pico, the Government of the Azores praises the progress made on the island on various fronts, particularly in terms of accessibility and tourism, having confirmed that Pico is currently faring better than it did at the beginning of this parliamentary term.

The Council of the Government, which met on September 28, 2023, in the town of Madalena, Pico Island, adopted the following measures:

1. Amend the regulation on the granting of transitional financial support for the payment of housing loan instalments - CREDITHAB.

In February 2023, the Regional Government approved a complementary line of support to subsidise interest rates on housing loans, designated as CREDITHAB, so as to help families cope with higher instalments on housing loans due to rising interest rates.

In May of this year, CREDITHAB was amended by reducing the eligible effort rate from 50% to 35% in order to standardise the eligibility criteria with those that had been adapted for the national support measures that had been implemented in the meantime.

As of today, this measure has supported more than 300 Azorean families to pay off their bank loans.

In the meantime, it has been found that the criterion of prior renegotiation of the loan with banks on the part of the applicants has led to different interpretations by these banks as to the nature of such requests. This sometimes leads to clients being identified by the supervisory authorities as being at risk of default, which contradicts the purpose of this support, which is to prevent defaults and their systemic repercussions.

At the same time, there was a need to revise the maximum amount of capital under contract, which will now increase from €200,000.00 to €250,000.00, given the substantial rise in the average price of the most recent loans under contract.

These two new amendments will cover a greater number of beneficiaries and improve access to the programme by exempting applicants from having to provide proof of loan renegotiation with the bank.

The complementarity with national support is also maintained.

2. Approve the Resolution authorising the signing of an investment-cooperation contract between the Regional Government and the Mãe de Deus, Social Solidarity Association, providing for a financial allocation of up to €1,030,080.00 with the aim of securing the necessary funding to carry out the works for the expansion of this institution's daycare centre. 

The Programme of the XIII Government of the Azores advocates the reinforcement of social responses that encourage the reconciliation of professional activity and parenthood while simultaneously being measures to combat poverty and social exclusion.

Continuing one of the priorities of the XIII Government of the Azores to support the development of social support activities in the area of childhood to increase the daycare coverage rate, through the creation and refurbishment of childhood support facilities in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, São Miguel Island, the Government will grant the necessary funding for the expansion of this institution's daycare centre up to the amount of 1.3 million Euros.

The expansion of the daycare centre operated by the Mãe de Deus Social Solidarity Association also contributes to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out in Agenda 2030, which stipulates that, by 2030, all children should have access to quality early childhood development activities, childcare and preschool education.

3. Approve the Regional Implementing Decree amending the Terceira Island Coastal Zone Management Plan.

The amendment to the Terceira Island Coastal Zone Management Plan - POOC Terceira is due to the evolution of the economic, social, cultural and environmental conditions underlying its preparation. It is also the result of the conclusions presented in the first assessment report and the experience gained over the years by the Regional Government department responsible for spatial planning in managing the plan's area of intervention.

The changes now introduced are intended to make the principles and goals underpinning the drafting of the POOC Terceira more feasible, namely an increase in references to the protection and enhancement of the landscape and natural ecosystems of interest to nature conservation, the minimisation of risks associated with coastal erosion, tsunamis and coastal flooding and the effects of climate change, the improvement of bathing areas, and other situations involving environmental, social and economic impacts.

4. Procure services for the development and implementation of the Azores Health Information Repository and respective portals, including interoperability mechanisms with local systems, within the scope of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (MUSA - Single Health Model for the Azores), through a public tender procedure advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union.

The Digital Hospital of the Autonomous Region of the Azores is a commitment taken by the Government of the Azores to transform the health sector in the archipelago, so as to guarantee equal access to health care for all Azoreans.

The Single Health Model for the Azores will guarantee digital interoperability among all the institutions of the Regional Health Service, ensuring access to integrated patient results by providing a single system that will allow the various aspects of its use to be incorporated into the same application environment, both for patients and the health professionals.

The MUSA project is also an asset for patients insofar as it:

- It allows faster access to clinical files;

- It allows access to medicine prescriptions and biometric data;

- It provides the possibility to consult test results;

- It also provides the possibility of monitoring the position of patients on waiting lists;

A portal and an app will be created for this purpose.

The MUSA project - Single Health Model for the Azores is part of the approved investment under the RRP, amounting to approximately 3.5 million Euros.

5. Approve the Resolution recognising the intervention for the extension of the "Furnas Lake Forest Living" tourist resort, located in the parish of Furnas, municipality of Povoação, São Miguel Island, as an action of significant public interest.  

The company FLV Investimentos Turísticos, Lda. intends to carry out works to expand the tourist resort designated as "Furnas Lake Forest Living," located in the parish of Furnas, municipality of Povoação.

The Regional Government was requested to recognise the project as an action of significant public interest, as the site is covered by the Furnas Lake Hydrographic Basin Management Plan and located in an Ecological Reserve area.

The expansion of the tourist resort in question will provide it with the necessary capacity for current demand as well as for the demand that is expected for the parish of Furnas in the future.

Furthermore, given its features, design and financial return, the existence of this tourist resort will lead to a continuous and already evident improvement in the biodiversity of the area, as well as the quality of the soil and biogeography, and the expansion works will also contribute to the integration of human resources into the company's staff.

6. Approve the Resolution authorising the signing of a contract-programme between the Autonomous Region of the Azores and Portos dos Açores, S.A. (Regional Port Authorities) to regulate the promotion of coastal protection works, the reorganisation of the bay and the redevelopment of the passenger pier at the São Roque do Pico port.

Due to coastal erosion over the last few years, caused by sea waves, the coastline of the São Roque do Pico port is degraded and, in some places, indented and very battered by the direct action of the waves, which threatens the structural integrity of some elements, including infrastructures, people and property.

Therefore, it is necessary to protect the coastline, the bay and the passenger pier of the São Roque do Pico port through actions for the protection, stabilisation and redevelopment of the coastal zone, with a view to increasing resilience and reducing vulnerability to the effects of atmospheric agents, particularly sea waves, taking into account the effects of climate change.

The works to protect the coastline, reorganise the bay and the redevelopment of the passenger pier at the São Roque do Pico port has been a long-standing demand of the municipality of São Roque do Pico and the people of Pico in general.

As a regional public company entrusted with the management of services of general economic interest, Portos dos Açores, S.A., has the mission of promoting the necessary improvements in the port sector, so as to ensure that the general public has access to essential goods and services under balanced financial conditions.

The amount of the financial support to be granted by the Autonomous Region of the Azores under this contract is set at €35,000,000.00 and will be phased between 2024 and 2028.