The Angra do Heroísmo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIAH) yesterday demanded “urgent decisions” on the maritime freight transportation model in the region.
“Following a letter sent to the Regional Secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures, the CCIAH has issued this statement expressing its public concern about two issues that are central to our region’s economy and which have already been addressed on several occasions by this business association,” reads a note sent to our newspaper-Diário Insular.
For CCIAH, it is “urgent to implement the conclusions of the Study on the Maritime Transport of Goods because it believes that only by adopting them immediately will we be able to have a more predictable and equitable maritime transport system between the mainland and the Azores between all the islands.”
For businesspeople from the islands of Terceira, São Jorge, and Graciosa, “the persistence of the Regional Government in not deciding on this matter is not acceptable in our view,” a situation that “feeds inertia and uncertainty, directly damaging the resilience of the business fabric.”
“Postponing changes to the current model represents a permanent obstacle, with daily consequences for regional development, which we cannot accept. Therefore, more than presentations and words, we are asking for concrete actions that will lead to visible results in the short and medium term,” the entrepreneurs insist.

INTERESTS
The CCIAH also asked Secretary Berta Cabral for clarification on the Sousa Group’s interest in operating the ports on the islands of Terceira and São Miguel, “considering that this group already manages some of the largest ports in the country and has accumulated experience and knowledge in the sector.”
“Any government decision on this process should be taken quickly and without recourse to new studies so as not to jeopardize the regional economy and avoid a loss of competitiveness,” says the note sent to us.
“Given this context, the CCIAH Board insists that the Regional Secretariat for Transport, Tourism and Mobility act proactively, placing these issues at the top of the regional political agenda regarding transportation between the islands,” insists the body led by Marcos Couto.
“The CCIAH calls on the regional government to review its economic policies, hoping that they will show signs that they are willing to open up the economy to the outside world, even if this means taking the usual ‘sacred cows’ out of the equation, whether in the maritime transport sector or in other areas that are relevant to the region,” says the businessmen’s text. Finally, the CCIAH insists on a regional privatization plan that is “well structured and focused on the areas where private management can bring the best results.”

In Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director

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