The Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities said the Azorean diaspora is interested in investing in the Azores and advocates improving exchange mechanisms from an economic point of view.
According to Paulo Estêvão, at the meeting of the second Azorean Diaspora Council (CDA), which is taking place in Ponta Delgada, the councilors mentioned “the enormous potential that exists for economic development through exchange” with the Azorean communities in the diaspora, who want to consume Azorean products and invest in the archipelago.
“There are a number of speeches calling for the exchange mechanisms to be improved from an economic point of view, taking into account the enormous potential of a large number of investors who can invest in the Azores, who are interested in doing so from an economic point of view, but also from an emotional point of view,” he said.
The councillors “want to help the Azores” and also expressed their willingness for the Houses of the Azores and the various Azorean associations around the world to “serve as embassies and represent the interests of the Azores”, he added.
The need to increase cultural exchange, so that more Azoreans from the diaspora “can visit the Region and that more people linked to culture and cultural projects can also reach the diaspora as a whole”, was another aspect addressed at the meeting.
“Another concern that was expressed is in relation to SATA and maintaining and even strengthening the connection to our diaspora, which is fundamental, which is economically viable and which is important to strengthen in sectors where our diaspora is very numerous and which has a great interest in maintaining these connections,” said Paulo Estêvão.
On the part of the Regional Government, the Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities guaranteed that he will discuss with the Government of the Republic the search for mechanisms “to find ways of boosting economic activity, particularly in terms of customs issues, which are the responsibility of the State”.


At the meeting, which runs until today at the Conceição Palace in Ponta Delgada, votes of solidarity were approved for the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital, which was affected by a fire, as well as for the floods in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.
The Regional Secretariat for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, through the Regional Directorate for Communities, organizes the second CDA meeting.
This consultative body of the Regional Government was established in 2021 to ensure the participation, collaboration, and consultation of representatives of Azorean communities scattered around the world.
The CDA meets ordinarily every two years and is made up of 35 members, including the 19 councilors chosen by the Azorean diaspora itself, for four-year terms through the constituencies of Bermuda (one), Brazil (five), Canada (five), USA (five), Uruguay (one), mainland Portugal and Madeira (one), and the rest of the world (one).
The CDA includes three representatives from the Legislative Assembly of the Azores, a representative from the World Council of Houses of the Azores, and the regional directors responsible for emigration and communities, social solidarity, professional qualifications and employment, culture, tourism, and incentives.
The CDA also includes a representative of the Association of Municipalities of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, a representative of emigrant associations with a presence and activity in the region, a representative of the Directorate-General for Consular Affairs and Portuguese Communities, and a representative of the Council of Portuguese Communities.

News Story in Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director and pictures from Comunidades-Açores.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.