Communiqué from the Council of the Government - Communication

The Council of the Government, which met on July 8, 20258 in the city of Horta, decided to adopt the following measures:

1. Approve the Resolution authorising the signing of a contract-programme between the Region and the University of the Azores, amounting to €950,000.00, intended to contribute to the expenses arising from its organisation, operation and tripolar development for 2025.

The University of the Azores is a strategic partner for regional development, due to its contribution to the social and economic enhancement of knowledge in the Azores, improving the level of qualification of citizens and the well-being of the community in general. It aims to be recognised as an internationally renowned higher education institution in teaching and research on matters concerning island territories, maritime affairs and transatlantic relations in all their aspects.

In this context and aiming to strengthen the regional scientific system, the Government intends to continue supporting the University of the Azores by allocating funding to cover expenses resulting from the tripolar organisation of the University of the Azores, namely, the Angra do Heroísmo, Horta and Ponta Delgada campuses.

The amount of the contract-programme, similar to that of 2024, represents an increase of 150 thousand Euros compared to 2023 and a difference of 600 thousand Euros compared to the allocation of 350 thousand Euros in 2020, before the first coalition government took office.

2. Approve the Resolution authorising expenditure concerning the maintenance service for the AzoresCloud data centres, with a base price of €4,615,368.78.

The technological infrastructure of the Azorean Government, responsible for storing and processing data from the Regional Public Administration, is a critical infrastructure known as AzoresCloud.

AzoresCloud is used by 158 entities, serving approximately 55 thousand direct users, more than 1,000 information systems and 600 websites. It is the backbone of administrative activity and services provided to citizens and businesses.

AzoresCloud revolutionised how the administration of computer systems, which are vital for the provision of public services, was managed until its implementation. This management was carried out by different entities, resulting in a universe of dispersed systems, most of which were at the limit of their processing capacity, memory, storage and service level, without redundancy and with structural limitations that posed high risks, including security risks, to the operation of public entities and services.

The implementation of AzoresCloud represented a milestone, as it established itself as a competitive and appropriate technological solution for the processing and storage of Regional Public Administration data.

Currently, to ensure the continued efficient operation of the AzoresCloud infrastructure and operations, it is necessary to procure maintenance services for this infrastructure, including the maintenance and support of the equipment and technologies that make up the two data centres.

This service aims to ensure that the infrastructure where all the Regional Government's services are concentrated, namely health, education, finance, planning and public administration, employment, culture and housing, remains in operation and functioning with a high level of efficiency and availability, in addition to a high level of quality in responding to incident resolution and risk prevention.

3. Approve the Regional Implementing Decree amending SOLENERGE, a programme that regulates the allocation of financial incentives for the purchase and installation of solar photovoltaic systems in the Region.

Following the approval of the €41,000,000.00 boost to the SOLENERGE programme, the Implementing Decree now approved aims to render the application review process faster and more efficient, with a view to meeting the targets set out in the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

SOLENERGE has played a crucial role in the energy transition in the Azores, placing energy consumers at the core of the energy system, aligned with the new energy models promoted at a European level.

This measure, which has been hugely successful among Azorean families and businesses, will significantly contribute to increasing energy production from renewable sources, driving a paradigm shift in the regional context and consolidating the Azores' commitment to energy sustainability.

4. Approve the proposed Regional Legislative Decree establishing the Palliative Care Network in the Region.

This proposed Regional Legislative Decree aims to establish the Regional Palliative Care Network, based on the specific characteristics and palliative care needs of the Region.

The Regional Palliative Care Network has as its main goal to provide palliative care to sick people who, regardless of age and pathology, are suffering from a serious or incurable disease with a poor prognosis and in an advanced stage.

It is intended to be a functional network, integrated into the health units of the Regional Health Service, and based on a model of integrated and coordinated intervention.

The Regional Palliative Care Network will have different types of units and teams to provide palliative care, cooperating with other hospital, community, and home-based healthcare resources.

5. Approve the Resolution authorising expenditure on the purchase of foodstuffs under the European Social Fund Plus, up to a maximum amount of €4,632,402.19, between 2025 and 2027.

With a view to ensuring the supply of food products to the most deprived persons, namely through the direct distribution of food, it is important to launch a new public procurement procedure, complying with the due procedural steps. The Institute for Social Security of the Azores is the regional entity responsible for implementing social welfare policies. It plays a key role in developing measures to combat poverty, with a particular focus on identifying beneficiaries and managing the specific goal - mitigating poverty.

6. Approve the Resolution declaring the urgent public utility regarding the compulsory purchase of the plots of land deemed necessary for the implementation of the "Capelas Bypass on tão Miguel Island" project.

7. Approve the Resolution authorising the procurement for the "Works contract for the remodelling of the surroundings/metal sheet roofing of the air terminal at São Jorge Island aerodrome."

Considering that the pre-contract procedure launched for the procurement of the said work did not receive any proposals, and, as such, no award was made, this Resolution, now approved, delegates to the Regional Secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures the powers to take a new decision to procure and authorise the expenditure regarding the aforementioned, with an updated base price of €875,000.00, maintaining the completion period of 120 days.