The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and the Environment stressed today in Horta the priority status awarded by the Government to the creation of a Regional Plan for Climate Change in the Azores, thus complying with the goals set in the Kyoto Protocol and the Europe 2020 climate and energy package.

According to Luís Neto Viveiros, the working group that met today for the first time will define the "specifications for the international public tender that will be launched." With an estimated budget of 600 thousand Euros, the Plan is expected to be completed within 18 months.

By concluding this project, which also includes a period of public consultation, the Region will be provided with an essential planning tool for public policies that is prepared to respond to the intensification of global climate change, which put greater pressure on limited and fragile territories as the archipelago of the Azores.

"It is a global concern to which the Government of the Azores awards priority status," stressed the Regional Secretary. The government official spoke to journalists on the sidelines of the work meeting, adding that our aim is "to enhance the Region's safety."

Luís Neto Viveiros stressed the fact that the Azores are a group of islands leads to "increased difficulties"; however, he considered that this situation makes the preparation of this plan "an even more interesting challenge." The development of the plan is expected to be cover "a considerable period of time, until 2030, with projections to 2050."

These projections are based on a study conducted by the Regional Committee for Climate Change Assessment, which is coordinated by Professor Brito de Azevedo from the University of the Azores. For the Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Environment, "this is the base document that will support the work carried out by this group."

The working group comprises representatives from all activity sectors as well as from various governmental departments and entities, such as the Regional Civil Engineering Laboratory.