The Regional Secretary for Natural Resources, Luís Neto Viveiros, revealed today that the Regional Government expects to conclude by February a proposal for a "comprehensive" revision of the current legislation on Fundopesca (Fishers' Salary Compensation Fund).
"We understand that while some of the aspects comprised by the proposal submitted by Bloco de Esquerda (BE) are meritorious, there are others that should be also reviewed and included," said Luís Neto Viveiros. The government official spoke to journalists on the amendments submitted by BE at the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores (ALRAA).
Luís Neto Viveiros spoke at the end of a hearing with the Committee on Economic Affairs in Ponta Delgada and stressed that the Regional Government intends to "submit a more comprehensive revision which not only includes some contributes made by BE, but also "other relevant contributions," Thus, the Government ensures that all relevant matters "will be discussed by all political parties and Fisheries organisation."
"We wish to reach a consensus on the revision of the legislation and ensure that it meets the aspirations of fishers."
Meanwhile, the deadline for the submission of applications to Fundopesca was extended to January 15. This fund was activated following a meeting of the Administration Board held in December.
The Administration Board has unanimously decided to activate Fundopesca. The amount of support allocated to fishers is set at 254.62 Euros, which corresponds to 50% of the regional minimum wage. The support is awarded according to established criteria and beneficiaries cannot have another occupation other than fishing.
A total of 360 applications have been submitted to date, corresponding to 1,612 fishers. They are already being analysed, regardless of the deadline extension.
The Azores Fishers' Salary Compensation Fund, commonly known as FUNDOPESCA, was created in 2002 with the purpose of providing a financial compensation to fishers when they are prevented from working in certain situations.