The President of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores (ALRAA), Luís Garcia, was received yesterday morning in Lisbon by the President of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, to whom he conveyed the “urgency of the recovery of the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, in Ponta Delgada,” considering it “a national priority”.
During the hearing, which took place in the President’s drawing room at the Palácio de São Bento, President Luís Garcia raised awareness of “the importance of the Republic’s effective support for the recovery of the HDES,” stressing that “it is the largest hospital in the region and serves all Azoreans.”
“This is a priority issue that requires coordinated action between the Region and the Republic,” said the President of the Azorean Parliament, stressing that “it is imperative to speed up procedures to normalize the activity of HDES as soon as possible.”

Luís Garcia expresses dissatisfaction with the current solution to the legislation “Law the Sea.”

During the hearing, President Luís Garcia also expressed his dissatisfaction with the process relating to the Basic Law on the Planning and Management of Maritime Space, recalling that “the last amendment to this law was approved by the Assembly of the Republic and promulgated by the President of the Republic,” with several parliamentarians arguing that it was unconstitutional.
In this context, the President of the Azorean Parliament reaffirmed that “the Region will not give up the right to have a decisive say” on the planning, management, and use of the sea in the archipelago, defending the need to clarify the concept of shared management in the next constitutional revision.
“The participation of the Region in the management of the sea is an advantage for the whole country and any contrary approach would be extremely disadvantageous,” said the President.
Luís Garcia also informed the President of the Assembly of the Republic of the importance and need to resume the process of deepening regional autonomy that was underway in the previous legislature, stressing that “as well as the Regional Assembly, several parties presented proposals to revise the Constitution that fell at the end of the legislature.”

Reviewing the Finance Regulations between the Central and the Regional Governments is necessary and urgent.

For the President, “the Region has done its homework and wants a revision of the Constitution, even if it is only aimed at deepening regional autonomies.” In the context of deepening and developing Autonomy, President Luís Garcia also highlighted “the need to revise the Regional Finance Law,” a project that presupposes changing the existing legal framework and which is the result of joint work between the governments of the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira, “which are committed to developing a joint solution in the area of regional public finances.”
During the audience at São Bento Palace, the President of the Regional Assembly invited the President of the Assembly of the Republic to visit the Azores. The aim was to deepen and update his knowledge of the region’s economic, social, and political reality and promote greater proximity between the two assemblies.

in Correio dos Açores-Natalino Viveiros, director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks FLAD for being a strong supporter of all we do at PBBI-Fresno State.