The President of the Government stressed today the "genuine partnership in favour of Autonomy" that the visit of Prime Minister to the Azores has created, through the decision to take action in several areas to meet the challenges the Region is facing.
 
"Firstly, there is an aspect concerning the measures that have been taken to help the Azorean agriculture, particularly the dairy industry to overcome the challenge it currently faces," said Vasco Cordeiro. The President of the Government spoke on the second day of António Costa's visit to the Region.
 
The first measure had been a long claim of the Government that turned out to have practical implementation with the visit of the Prime Minister. The National Government has taken the Regional Government's claim as its own to defend, with European institutions, an additional financial envelope under POSEI to address the situation of this sector, said Vasco Cordeiro.
 
Also in Agriculture, the President of the Government stressed one second aspect regarding the exclusion of investment subsidies as income resulting from the provision of services for the determination of relevant income of farmers and the calculation of taxable base amount under the terms of the respective annual ordinance. According to him, the State Budget for 2016 has already established a 50 percent exemption in Social Security contributions for milk producers.
 
"The relevance of this aspect is that the contribution of farmers can be defined in accordance of their actual income and not based on investment subsidies under the projects approved," stressed Vasco Cordeiro.
 
Speaking to journalists, the President of the Government also highlighted the strong component of this visit in terms of scientific and technological matters under discussion as well as a very clear awareness about the Region's potential in this field.
 
"This potential is not only important for the Autonomous Region of the Azores, but also for the assertion of the country in areas as diverse as climatology, Volcanology, Marine Sciences, and the study of the Atlantic and the deep sea, among others,"  Vasco Cordeiro said, stressing the decisions taken under the Economic Revitalisation Plan for Terceira.
 
"I would also emphasise the creation of the Atlantic Research Centre on Faial, which clearly demonstrates how the Azores can become a meeting point for other entities related to these areas," said the President of the Government.
 
After visiting the islands of Terceira, Graciosa and Faial, Vasco Cordeiro also stressed the situation and the fact that it was possible to take very concrete steps in this matter, whether regarding the new process for the construction of a the new prison in Ponta Delgada, whose functional programme is being developed, or regarding the situation of some police stations.
 
In the case of infrastructures, the current relation between the National and Regional Government has allowed the Region to improve the means of security forces operating in the archipelago, namely vehicles. However, it was now decided to award priority status to the rehabilitation of police stations.
 
By the end of the second half of 2016, the Government will supply additional crew for the search and rescue EH-101  helicopter in the Azores, thus ensuring the operation of the helicopters stationed at Air Base No. 4 in Lajes.
 
According to Vasco Cordeiro, this decision is important to the country's point of view, taking into account the huge area of the sea surrounding the archipelago of the Azores. Nevertheless, "it is fundamentally a very important decision for Azoreans, particularly for those who depend on the military forces to save their lives and their physical integrity."
 
"Obviously, everything is not solved. There are matters on which we have to work, such as the case of the Region's rights in the maritime areas of the archipelago. However, there are something that I am sure: the availability for a clear and honest work to overcome any difference we may have regarding the ways we want to follow rather than the goals we want to achieve," stressed the President of the Government.