Speech delivered by the Regional Under Secretary of the Presidency - Communication

Subsecretário Regional da Presidência

Full text of the speech delivered today by the Regional Under Secretary of the Presidency, Pedro Faria e Castro, in Horta, during the discussion of the Plan and Budget for 2023:

"Following the rules of compliance with the Government programme and the need to adjust the plan and budget to the actual implementation capacity, I present you today the areas that fall under the responsibility of the Presidency of the Government, as part of the proposal now presented.

The Presidency will have an overall allocation of 18,075,000 Euros for 2023.

Regarding support to the Media, the Regional Government continues to ensure the recognition of the important role played by the media in the dissemination of information both within and outside the Region, a sector that needs to be supported with the necessary financial tools so that it can carry out its mission to inform with freedom and independence.

In terms of European Affairs and External Cooperation, the projection of the Azores in Europe must be reconciled with the fact that the European Union provides a plethora of rules, legal instruments and actions to support the Region's structural and social development policies. Everything is discussed and approved by the European institutions and, as such, the Azores must strengthen and consolidate their active participation within the European Union. Hence, our intention is to maintain our representation office in Brussels as well as to campaign at a national level for a specific constituency for the Azores in the European Parliament. Only then can we guarantee the strength of our active and constant participation in the decision-making process. Our strength in the negotiating process and the consequent solidarity owed by the European Union depend on that assurance.

In the area of Space, we will continue the implementation of the Azores Strategy for Space, working to establish the Region's potential in the sector and developing projects with our international and national partners. 
On the island of Flores, we maintain the ambition to increase, in a sustainable and responsible manner, the capabilities of RAEGE Station, continuing the investment effort in the sector, as set out by this Government for Flores.

Santa Maria is, nevertheless, the island that congregates more capabilities in the space sector and has a unique potential in the European scene. It brings together unique conditions for access to and return from Space. In this context, we continue the networking and creation of conditions to attract companies as well as technical and scientific entities to carry out their activities on Santa Maria Island and in the Region. The creation of synergies between the different areas and the steps that will be taken will contribute to the development of the sector not only on Santa Maria Island but also on other islands, where entrepreneurship should be promoted in high-complexity activities, so to improve the resiliency of the economic sectors. Therefore, there is an ambition to create and establish companies, which will generate qualified jobs and attract talent. Also in cooperation with our partners, the Region has been an active and cooperative participant in the national and European scene, both in the participation in national and international entities and in the return and attractiveness of the Region for private and scientific operators.

Local power is the best democratic representation of the proximity between politicians and their communities. The Regional Government is ready to help local authorities and, in particular, the region's parishes to fulfil their mission. Regional and local authorities are partners in common development. The Regional Directorate for Cooperation with Local Government - a new feature of this administration - will carry out its mission as the advocate for local government with the Regional Government, promoting cooperation and joint work between regional and local administrations, encouraging the development of municipalities and parishes, and ensuring the management and coordination of all projects and processes to achieve these goals. In this regard, we have been working for some time to create a new regulatory framework for technical and financial cooperation with parish councils, which fully complies with the requirements set out in the Programme of the XIII Government of the Azores: Sharing based on objective and equitable criteria, transparent and scrupulous, ensuring predictability and stability in the relations between the Regional Government and parish councils. The Regional Directorate for Cooperation with Local Government has ensured technical cooperation with municipalities, elected representatives and their respective technicians in the area of spatial planning, providing full support regarding the process of revision/amendment of the 18 municipal master plans. It does so in coordination with the Regional Directorate for Spatial Planning and Water Resources so that no prejudice results for municipalities in the use of Community funds and Government support.

With transparency, rigour and fairness, we will continue to carry out information and training activities aimed at local councillors and local government workers. And we will proceed with the revision of the legislative framework for technical and financial cooperation with municipalities in order to adjust it to a reality with which it is clearly out of touch. We will continue to settle the transfer of the share in personal income tax revenue regarding 2009 and 2010 to the municipalities of the Autonomous Region of the Azores. This cooperation is carried out with balanced and adequate means. The Government is part of the solution to the problems faced by municipalities, helping them to overcome difficulties.

As far as Communities are concerned, the 2023 plan is based on three projects: Emigrants and Returnees, Cultural Identity and Azoreanity, and Immigrants and Interculturalism. In this context, the Regional Government intends to pursue next year full compliance with the strategic goal of enhancing the value and potential of Azorean communities abroad and foreign communities in the Region, promoting appropriate actions to strengthen ties with our communities and keeping the Azorean soul and culture alive.

Through the Regional Cohesion and Economic Development Fund, the Regional Government intends to pursue the policy of compensation for the cost of maritime transport of essential goods.

The freight transport to Corvo Island will be secured with stability! What was impossible for some is, fortunately, our normal. We will continue to manage the supply of fuel to the Region, ensuring the payment of expenses related to the operation of the vessel that provides the regular supply of liquid fuel to seven of the nine islands of the Azores.

The Fire Associations and the Food Bank will also receive support for the acquisition of the fuel necessary for their daily operations. As an important tool for our economy, the Fund will continue to play its role, pursuant to the law, in setting the price of fuel sold in the Region, under the maximum price scheme. And it is the Fund that also bears part of the price of the fuels used in Agriculture and Fisheries.

We will continue to honour our commitments.

As for Communications and Digital Transition, investments are aimed at actions in the area of Communications, Information Systems and Technologies, Cybersecurity and Digital Transition, essential pillars for the social and economic development of the Region and for the competitiveness of the business fabric. 

Once the centralisation and renovation of the data processing and storage infrastructures have been consolidated, we will now renovate and modernise the Regional Public Administration's Information Systems to complete its Digital Transition process.

With regard to the National Government's responsibilities, we will monitor the expansion of the free public WiFi internet access network, the availability of 5G technology to 75% of the population in all parishes of the Azores by the end of 2023, the improvement of mobile and fibre optic network coverage and the replacement of the new fibre optic submarine cable ring. The National Government cannot break these commitments.

We will continue to invest in Cybersecurity, empowering our teams to ensure the effective protection of systems against the growing threats originating in cyberspace. In Digital Transition, we will invest in the implementation of open data that will establish a dynamic data-sharing ecosystem, capable of facilitating the discovery and reuse of public data by both citizens and businesses. This initiative will lead to an innovative open data-sharing platform for the Regional Public Administration as well as the launch of the Transparency Portal. 

Finally, I would like to highlight digital nomadism. The Azores digital nomad network will be based on a differentiated value proposition, capable of attracting this continuously growing community.

As you can see, the Regional Government is committed to continuing the process of transformation of the Azores, a process that began in the last regional elections and that will lead us to another way of connecting with the world. More success for people and for companies. More freedom, more social awareness and more economy. This new paradigm of governance already allows us to make a comparison. The past with the future. And the Azoreans want this future.