The President of the Government assured today the availability and interest to collaborate with the State in improving justice services in the archipelago. However, he warned that the Region cannot bear alone the burden of creating the conditions to ensure the rights of citizens.

"The Government of the Azores is, as has been, available and ready to collaborate and help. Nevertheless, we can neither admit nor accept, directly or indirectly, the idea that the Region has bear alone the burden of creating the conditions to ensure the right to Justice, regardless the implementation and importance of these conditions," said Vasco Cordeiro.

In his speech delivered at the opening session of the 4th Azorean Law Meeting, taking place in Ponta Delgada, the President of the Government ensured the willingness to cooperate, mentioning two specific examples in which such collaboration already exists and two cases in which it may be further developed.

The first concerns the construction of the new prison establishment on the island of São Miguel. After years of stalemate, the process has evolved positively in the State Budget forecasts - as evidenced in the proposal for 2017 – regarding the necessary financial resources for the evolution of the project and the progress of the respective technical works.

"The development of the functional plan for the new prison establishment by the National Government already includes the component of engineering works as well as the identification of the site for its construction, as provided by the Azorean Government. It is the example of a partnership that is in progress, being a joint effort for a good result in a specifically complex situation," said the government official.

Another example in this already existing collaboration concerns the extension of regional programmes and measures to the State Services installed in the Region, particularly in the area of employment. In the specific case of courts, these measures would allow us to meet the needs in terms of human resources on a temporary basis.

As for the areas in which this spirit of collaboration may be extended, Vasco Cordeiro stressed that the Government of the Azores "is available and interested in promoting, together with the national services and all the judicial community, a cross-sectional analysis of the problem "concerning the high incarceration rate registered in the Autonomous Region, which even surpasses national and European averages.

"We believe that this analysis and this work together, especially on our part, regarding the socio-economic issues of the aforementioned population group may contribute to a better understanding of the reasons behind this reality," said Vasco Cordeiro.

In his speech, the President of the Government also mentioned another issue in which joint action is necessary. It is urgent to overcome the problem of Azorean children and youth committed to detention centres for young offenders. In addition to having family and social integration issues and engaging in criminal practices that determined the application of this measure, they are sent to centres outside the Region, which aggravates their family and social uprooting.

"In this regard, the Regional Government is also available and interested in collaborating with the National Government, without assuming the powers assigned to the State, so that we may safeguard the best interests of these Azorean children and young people."

"On the Government's part, we are available and interested in continuing this effort and we are well aware that our responsibilities end - and is important to note - where the State's responsibilities begin," stressed the President of the Government.