The current situation can be difficult, but it is also a challenge "to ensure the viability of the companies that have the potentiality to remain in the market, said the Regional Secretary for Science, Technology and Infrastructures on Friday. The government official urged companies to focus on training and qualification, promote the compliance with hygiene and safety rules at work and reinforce competitiveness.

José Contente spoke at the opening session of the seminar "CE conformity marking for construction products - application to the Azores", held at the Regional Civil Engineering Laboratory (LREC) in Ponta Delgada, calling for the social responsibility of the banking sector in the promotion of economy under the scope of their own responsibilities and interests. "We all know that some constraints were imposed on banks in terms of credit, but we also know that banks themselves have tools that allow them to continue to play their role, which is to stimulate the economy in accordance to their responsibilities and interests; this is also the interest of the regional economy," said the Regional Secretary.

The government official also confirmed the need for regulatory mechanisms to defend the Azorean economy. As markets are ruled by the supply and demand laws, the Regional Secretariat defends an economic market with a certain degree of protection in order to avoid "the savagery of economic liberalism." Therefore, we must we have some regulation tools in a region like ours so that we may defend our companies as well as our society."

Assessing the evolution of the construction sector in the last decades, the government official stressed that the current situation was the result of a sharp decline in private investment, which represented 53% of global investment by 2009. Public investment, however, remains and has avoided the financial constraint of the sector, which was caused by the "lack of funding from the banking sector to private investment."

José Contente recalled another crisis that occurred in the sector some year ago, "the construction crisis of 1992/1996" that was caused by the contrary reasons. "Back then, the Regional Government in office at that time failed to pay suppliers and there was little public investment," the Regional Secretary mentioned, recalling the differences between the construction crises that hit the Azores.

Apart from constantly improving the construction sector, any new policy in this area should continue to adequate the launch of projects, from the initial phase to implementation, to the capacity of the financial resources of those who launch them and the human resources available. "Only then, with this type of goals, strategies and measures, we will be able to continue to improve the competitive gap that may still exist in the region compared to other places," added the Regional Secretary.

CE conformity marking for construction products aims to bring new demands and new opportunities for the sector, particularly at the level of safety and performance of construction products.