Presidential candidate Luís Marques Mendes addressed fire-fighting efforts on Thursday during a speech at the Social Democratic Party’s Summer University, where the current head of state also delivered a speech yesterday.
Mendes provided several suggestions, noting that “Saint Peter has more control than politicians.” He described the independent technical commission to analyze the August fires as a “good idea,” explaining, “It wouldn’t make sense to embark on a 25-year forest pact without first reviewing what succeeded and failed, and assessing which recommendations from 2017 were followed through and which were not. This idea makes perfect sense.”
Besides endorsing this idea, Mendes suggested including international experts in the independent committee, stating, “It wouldn’t be a bad idea for this independent commission to include some international experts. It’s not because Portugal lacks excellent specialists; of course, it has. But having foreign experts in an independent commission is very useful because it adds an external perspective to the issue and reinforces the independence of this evaluation.”
Mendes argued that effective prevention in Portugal must be local, focusing on parishes and municipalities: “The notion that prevention is managed from Terreiro do Paço is science fiction.”
Emphasizing that top-down prevention from Terreiro do Paço to any point in Portugal “doesn’t work,” he asserted that “centralization in this matter doesn’t work. Only decentralization of prevention to municipalities and parishes, with the appropriate resources, skills, and capacity, can provide an effective response.”
The presidential candidate also called for the use of the Armed Forces in fighting fires, emphasizing that it is “a matter of national defense.” According to him, the political power should consider this approach, as “our Armed Forces have the competence and professionalism to make a very useful contribution here, as they have in other areas.”
Mendes concluded his list of suggestions by urging serious investment in the economic dimension of territories and forests, whether through forest eco-points, biomass plants, or other solutions.
“Addressing this issue requires strengthening the economic dimension of forests, which takes time and demands stability. We cannot keep changing governments from year to year, which is why a 25-year pact makes sense,” he argued, adding, “It’s not a typical Portuguese solution, as we usually think short-term. But someone like me, who wants to be President of the Republic, has an obligation to contribute to teaching because ambitious policies are medium to long-term policies.”
It’s noteworthy that the proposal to establish this commission was put forward by the Socialist Party, with the bill having already been submitted to Parliament. The objective, as the document explains, is to conduct “a comprehensive and factual analysis of this year’s rural fire campaign, comparing it with previous years,” particularly the period from 2018 to 2024.
The formation of an independent commission, announced by the PS leader, José Luís Carneiro, on August 15, was welcomed “with approval” by the PSD, according to this week’s statements by the social-democrat parliamentary leader, Hugo Soares.
