The initiative—one of 45 included in the new instrument—was unveiled by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro during a briefing following a meeting of the PSD/CDS-PP executive in Viseu. This meeting coincided with the Government’s discussions with mayors from several municipalities affected by recent wildfires.
“We will also launch a call for proposals so that local authorities can apply for funding aimed at the swift repair of public infrastructure and equipment damaged by the fires,” Montenegro stated, without specifying the available funds.
The Prime Minister emphasized that local councils would play the primary role in defining the aid to be allocated for these fires, followed by the Commissions for Coordination and Regional Development (CCDR).
The amounts to be granted will be determined through a “joint decision” between these two administrative levels, he added.
Montenegro expressed a desire to form a consensus in the National Assembly regarding a pact for forest management and territorial protection, acknowledging that “not everything went well” in the fight against the fires.
He noted that the legislative tool approved today “can be activated by a simple resolution of the Council of Ministers and will have a temporal and geographical limitation,” based on propositions from the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection and the Institute of Nature and Forest Conservation.
Among the 45 support measures approved today, he highlighted financial assistance for affected families “for essential expenses ensuring their sustainability, especially when their economic hardship is proven,” including support for immediate goods acquisition, such as animal feed.
The reconstruction of homes affected by the fires and intended for private residence will be fully subsidized up to 250,000 euros and 85% for the remaining amount.
There are also plans for cash flow support for businesses directly affected by the fires and to restore their production capacity, in addition to extraordinary support for companies maintaining employment, and extended deadlines for some contributory and fiscal obligations.
Another measure includes exceptional support to compensate agricultural losses caused by the fires, including undocumented expenses, totaling up to 10,000 euros, and lifting the limits on overtime expenses for forest ranger teams.
The announcement also detailed enhanced healthcare in the affected areas, with exemptions from user fees and free medication provision by units of the National Health Service.
Earlier, following a meeting with local leaders, Economy Minister Castro Almeida indicated that the Government had received around five thousand aid requests, mainly from Northern municipalities, following recent rural fires.
While abstaining from specifying the exact figures, as on-ground assessments are ongoing, the minister acknowledged the potential for damages exceeding 30 million euros when questioned by the media.
Almeida noted, “Next week, documentation will be available for individuals to submit their applications,” which they will present to their local municipalities, subsequently forwarding them to CCDR Norte.
“CCDR Norte will evaluate and process payments within 10 days or less, at least for the initial thousands of requests that will arise,” he assured.
Mainland Portugal has been plagued by numerous large-scale rural fires since July, mainly affecting the North and Center regions.
The fires have resulted in three deaths, including a firefighter, numerous injuries, some severe, and the complete or partial destruction of primary and secondary homes, as well as agricultural, livestock, and forest areas.
Portugal has activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism, under which it has access to two Fire Boss planes, with the arrival of two more Canadair planes expected on Friday.
The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) estimated that 274,000 hectares in Portugal have burned this year up to noon today.
