A new initiative, one of 45 measures introduced, was announced by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro during a briefing that followed the meeting of the PSD/CDS-PP executive in Viseu, coinciding with a government assembly with mayors from municipalities recently affected by wildfires.
“We will also open a competition for local authorities to apply for funding aimed at the rapid repair of infrastructures and public equipment damaged by the fires,” he stated, without specifying the funds available.
The prime minister emphasized that the primary role in determining support related to these fires will be assigned to municipal councils, with Coordination and Regional Development Commissions (CCDR) serving a secondary role.
The funds to be allocated will be decided through a “joint decision by these two levels of administration,” he added.
The prime minister expressed a desire to reach a consensus in the Assembly of the Republic concerning a pact on forest management and land protection and acknowledged shortcomings in the firefighting response.
Luís Montenegro highlighted that the approved legislative tool “can be enacted by a simple resolution from the Council of Ministers and will have a temporal and geographical scope,” in line with a proposal from the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority and the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests.
Among the 45 measures sanctioned today, he emphasized financial support for affected families “for necessary expenses to ensure their livelihood when their economic hardship is proven,” including assistance for purchasing immediate necessities, like animal feed.
The reconstruction of housing impacted by fires earmarked for primary residence will be subsidized 100% up to 250,000 euros and 85% for the remaining amount.
Support is also planned for the working capital of companies directly affected by the fires, the restoration of productive capacity, extraordinary assistance for companies retaining jobs, and extended deadlines for fulfilling some contributory and tax obligations.
Additionally, exceptional aid to compensate farmers for the damage caused by fires, covering undocumented expenses up to 10,000 euros, and removing limits on overtime expenses for forest ranger teams are other measures announced.
Health care reinforcement in affected regions was also declared, with exemptions on co-payment fees and free medication dispensation by National Health Service units.
Earlier, following a meeting with local officials, Economy Minister Castro Almeida mentioned that the government has received around 5,000 aid requests, mainly from Northern councils, due to the recent rural fires.
While avoiding precise figures due to ongoing field assessments, the minister admitted that damages might surpass 30 million euros when questioned by media representatives.
Castro Almeida added that, “next week, documents will be available for individuals to submit their applications,” which they will present in their local municipalities, then forwarded to CCDR Norte.
“CCDR Norte will assess and pay in 10 days, or less, at least the initial thousands of requests that will appear,” he assured.
Continental Portugal has faced numerous large-scale rural fires since July, primarily affecting the North and Central regions.
The fires resulted in three fatalities, including a firefighter, several serious injuries, and the complete or partial destruction of primary and secondary homes, as well as agricultural and livestock operations and forested areas.
Portugal activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism, through which it has two Fire Boss aircraft, with two additional Canadair planes expected to arrive on Friday.
The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) estimated that 274,000 hectares in Portugal have burned this year as of noon today.
[News updated at 22:41]
