The rules on the Regional Support Programme for Recreational Societies and Philharmonic Bands of the Autonomous Region of the Azores will enter into force on Tuesday, May 12, according to an ordinance published today in the Official Journal.

Issued by the Regional Secretary for Education and Culture, this ordinance approves the form as well as the criteria and sub-criteria for the assessment of applications for support under SOREFIL.

This programme, created in 2014 and amended in February 2020, acknowledges the "social and cultural importance" of recreational and philharmonic societies in the Azores.

"The recreational and philharmonic societies of the Autonomous Region of the Azores are fundamental entities in the cultural consolidation of each island of the archipelago, as structural spaces of solidarity and intergenerational dynamics that promote a solid artistic education," states the ordinance.