Communiqué from the Council of the Government - Communication

The Council of the Government, which met on Thursday, September 1, in Ponta Delgada decided the following:

1 - The application of the Municipality of Ponta Delgada for the European Capital of Culture, "Azores 2027", has the support of the Regional Government and is intended to encompass the entire Autonomous Region of the Azores. The Government of the Azores, with its support, demonstrates its commitment to culture and the desire to reflect the regional dimension of this application to all other islands. The Presidency of the Government and the Regional Secretariat for Education and Cultural Affairs, through the Regional Directorates for Communications and Digital Transition and for Cultural Affairs, have decided to support this project. Accordingly, the financial allocation from the Regional Government to the Municipality of Ponta Delgada, amounting to 400,000.00 Euros (four hundred thousand Euros) has been authorised.

2 - The epidemiological situation in the Azores now makes it possible to monitor the measures adopted at a national level concerning the end of the compulsory use of masks in air transport and pharmacies. In this regard, the Council of the Government approved a resolution amending the rules on the matter with retroactive effect from the date of entry into force of the same measure adopted at a national level.

3 - The Regional Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development is an advisory body that provides support to the department of the Regional Government responsible for agriculture, forestry and rural development. The Government of the Azores has approved the structure and operating rules of the Council, which will now have a more comprehensive decision-making component. The Council is composed of policymakers, regional public administration leaders and representatives of the sector's non-governmental organisations. This approval reinforces the representation of sectors and entities that are increasingly relevant in areas of agriculture, forestry and rural development, such as the case of the organic farming cooperative sector in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, regional forestry associations and local development associations, as agents promoting rural development.

4 - The Regional Water Plan (PRA), approved in 2003, is the longest-running strategic planning instrument in force in the Autonomous Region of the Azores. As the plan is not in line with the legislative evolution, it was necessary to proceed to amend it. Approved by the Government of the Azores, this amendment provides for an adjustment of its contents and approach to the current framework, goals, targets, instruments and tools available at international, national and regional levels in the field of water resources management. The planning for achieving these goals will be carried out at the level of the sectorial plans in force, namely the Management Plan for the Hydrographic Region of the Azores (PGRH-Açores) and the Flood Risk Management Plan (PGRIA). The amendment to the Plan, as well as to its Strategic Guidelines and Goals, was also carried out on the conceptual framework of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations Agenda 2030.

5 - The Government has approved the Management Plan for the Hydrographic Region of the Azores 2022-2027. The Plan is based on the updates and revisions deemed necessary to determine the link between the identification of pressures, the assessment of the status of water bodies and the development of programmes containing measures aimed at mitigating the impact of pressures. It presents, as a pillar of this link, the compliance with the environmental targets set out in the WFD, at a Community level, and the Water Law in the context of Portuguese domestic law.

6 - It was also decided to approve a draft resolution for the allocation of support under the legal-financial support scheme for climate emergency, as a support system aimed at responding to situations of property loss and damage resulting from the occurrence of extreme weather phenomena. Accordingly, it provides a response to situations of property loss and damage. It also responds to those affected by the extreme weather phenomena that occurred in the parish of Mosteiros on September 27, 2021, and in the parish of Feteiras on December 31, 2021, both in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, São Miguel Island.

7 - The situation of the Autonomous Region of the Azores as an archipelago and outermost region, with the resulting limitations, particularly in terms of more complex diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, which are not available on many of the islands of the archipelago, forces the owners of sick pets to bear the costs of travel by air, coupled with the costs of medical treatment whose veterinarians deem essential. The acknowledgement of animals as sensitive living beings and the ethical obligation to protect them have already become consensual in contemporary societies around the world. This should be considered in the context of the promotion and territorial cohesion that the Autonomous Region of the Azores wishes to achieve. Hence, the Government of the Azores hereby implements a subsidy for the inter-island transport of sick pets in 2022, regardless of the aerodrome or airport of origin and destination, for duly proven medical reasons. The subsidy referred to in the previous paragraph is set at 50% of the final amount of the fees charged by the operator of the scheduled air transport service within the Autonomous Region of the Azores. This is therefore a measure that reflects the growing importance of pet care.

8 - The promotion of support measures for professional development is one of the goals of the Programme of the XIII Government of the Azores.  In this context, FORM.AÇORES was a measure capable of stimulating the development of professional skills in the Autonomous Region of the Azores and, combined with its integration into the training offer, it has contributed to personal development, stimulating the maintenance of employment and enhancing employability. Given the importance of this measure in promoting and developing the professional skills of Azorean workers, it is now important to enhance its results, adjusting them to the current labour market situation. Accordingly, it is important to introduce some structural amendments to FORM.AÇORES, especially in what concerns training, which is now directed only to workers, as well as in what concerns consultancy service, which now includes micro and small enterprises.

9 - In the context of a policy based on protected employment, the legislation regulating the support to be allocated by the autonomous regional administration to the operation of the Social Employment Market in the Autonomous Region of the Azores provides for the granting of financial aid to insertion companies, so as to support their operation, investment and integration of workers. In this context, and with the approval of the Regional Commission of the Social Employment Market, financial support shall be granted to João Inácio de Sousa Nursing Home as well as to the Part'Ilha, and VidAçor associations.