The debate over the future of the Azorean economy took on unusually blunt tones this weekend in Praia da Vitória, where Marcos Couto, president of the Câmara do Comércio e Indústria de Angra do Heroísmo (CCIAH), used the opening session of Expo Praia 2026 to launch a forceful critique of what he described as “fifty years of incompetence” and a lingering “colonial centralism” affecting the Azores.

Held from May 15 to 17 in a large tent structure beside the Paul da Praia da Vitória, the fair gathered approximately sixty commercial stands, institutional exhibitors, and restaurant spaces, reaffirming its role as one of the principal economic and promotional events on Terceira Island.

Yet beyond commerce and exhibition, this year’s opening quickly evolved into a broader reflection on inequality, economic concentration, and the structural challenges facing the archipelago.

In front of local business leaders and Vânia Ferreira, mayor of Praia da Vitória, Marcos Couto rejected the idea that the economic difficulties confronting the Azores stem merely from temporary political circumstances or regional rivalries. Instead, he argued that the archipelago’s problems are rooted in a deeply entrenched structural model that centralized economic power while failing to remove large sectors of the population from poverty.

According to the CCIAH president, recent criticism directed at the business association reflects growing discomfort among established political forces faced with a more plural and openly critical regional discourse.

“The true centralists,” he argued, “feel their model of mediocrity threatened by the current plurality of opinions emerging in the regional landscape.”

Couto described the last half-century of Azorean governance as a profoundly unequal system in which “some ate while others remained silent,” going so far as to characterize the Azores as the poorest region of Portugal despite five decades of autonomy.

The speech also included a direct message to the current Governo Regional dos Açores, with the business leader warning that political power cannot surrender to “parallel pressures” and emphasizing what he described as a historic opportunity for democratic governance genuinely capable of respecting differing perspectives across the islands.

Otherwise, he warned, the present administration risks ultimately being remembered as merely another continuation of the same political patterns that have shaped the archipelago for decades.

At the center of Couto’s economic vision lies the defense of more balanced development among all nine islands.

The CCIAH president argued that the future of the Azores depends upon an integrated model of regional growth and called specifically for changes to the incentive systems affecting Terceira Island. His proposal advocates increasing support mechanisms for territories facing greater economic fragility while directing public investment toward areas of greatest need.

Within that framework, Praia da Vitória occupies what Couto considers a decisive strategic role.

He stressed that the success of any future economic model for the island depends heavily upon fully utilizing two key infrastructures: the Porto da Praia da Vitória and the Lajes Air Base airport infrastructure.

The business leader lamented the delays surrounding long-promised public works connected to those infrastructures, describing them as essential pillars for improving internal distribution networks and strengthening Terceira’s economic position within the archipelago.

In contrast to the more confrontational tone adopted by the CCIAH president, Mayor Vânia Ferreira focused her remarks on the importance of supporting local commerce and strengthening the municipality’s direct relationship with businesses and residents.

She encouraged citizens to prioritize local products and traditional commerce, framing consumer choices as acts capable of preserving employment and reinforcing the local economy.

Ferreira acknowledged the enormous resilience, innovation, and adaptability demanded of businesses in the current economic climate, while also affirming that the municipality, following an internal restructuring process, now finds itself financially stronger and closer to citizens.

According to the mayor, the municipality remains committed to investing in urban rehabilitation, business modernization, and accessibility improvements as part of a broader strategy for local development.

Organized jointly by the municipality and the Câmara do Comércio e Indústria de Angra do Heroísmo for the second consecutive year, Expo Praia 2026 combined commercial showcases with family-oriented entertainment and activities for younger audiences.

Yet beneath the festive atmosphere and commercial displays, the event revealed something deeper about the current Azorean political and economic moment: a growing impatience with old models of development, increasing demands for regional balance among the islands, and an emerging debate over whether autonomy itself must now enter a new phase — one less centered on administrative structures alone and more focused on economic justice, territorial cohesion, and the modernization of the archipelago’s future.

Translated and adapted from a story in Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director.