The Regional Secretary for Natural Resources said today that the Azores are under a "centralist threat" of the National Government, stressing that the powers of the Regional Government in the management of the Azores sea are "clearly defined."

"We are under a centralist threat of the National Government that wants to assume a leading position and control the benefits derived from the exploitation of this huge resource that belongs to the Azores [the sea] by trying to take over the Region's powers; however they are very important to us and we will not give up on them," stressed Luís Neto Viveiros.

Speaking at the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, the Regional Secretary stated that "the powers of the Government of the Azores in the area of sea management are clearly defined" in the Political and Administrative Statute of the Region.

Luís Neto Viveiros also pointed out the existence of specific legislation that regulates mineral exploration in the Azores, extraction of aggregates, fishing, aquaculture, recreational fishing and the relation between fisheries and tourism in a perspective of the future sustainability of resources and the respect for the environment.

Regarding the interest of Canadian multinational Nautilus Minerals in the exploration of minerals in the Azores sea, Luís Neto Viveiros revealed that, "after the publication of the maps" and without any objection to the tender, we will start the appropriate procedures "to draft the prospecting contract" between the Region and the company.

This was one of the initiatives implemented in the Azores with "economic return" mentioned by the Regional Secretary.

In addition to stressing fisheries as the "dominant activity in the sea," Luís Neto Viveiros also highlighted the emphasis on research, maintenance of vessels in transit, creation of a dynamic hub based on the cargo flows between continents and increase of maritime tourism activities as well as sea-related activities.

These actions are part of a comprehensive set of measures included in the reported submitted by the Government of the Azores to the European Commission on the Action Plan for Atlantic Strategy, a document that aims to establish the principles and practices that ensure the sustainable use of the ocean.