National Parliament’s Agriculture and Fisheries Committee heard Tiago Oliveira today, who emphasized that the Agency for Integrated Management of Rural Fires (AGIF) was established following a recommendation from the Independent Technical Commission (CTI) that reviewed the 2017 wildfires. The agency serves as a strategic coordination, monitoring, and evaluation body above ministerial departments.
“Both the OECD and the United Nations, along with us, have been recommending that the agency remain under the presidency of the Council of Ministers, now the Minister of the Presidency,” he stated.
Tiago Oliveira highlighted that during the Socialist Party governments, AGIF was overseen by the Prime Minister to harness the political leverage necessary to implement changes aligned with the CTI’s recommendations. However, under Luís Montenegro’s leadership, its oversight shifted to the Ministry of Agriculture.
“Despite delegated powers from the Prime Minister, we have made all possible efforts within our political capabilities to align other ministries with our guiding principles,” he noted.
Addressing the parliament, Oliveira asserted that AGIF “continues to play a crucial role in executing the Integrated Management System of Rural Fires (SGIFR),” which is currently halfway to completion.
The AGIF president affirmed the agency’s continued relevance, acknowledging ongoing improvements within the system, as well as issues that have been resolved.
Oliveira was summoned at the request of Chega and the PCP to provide clarifications regarding the 2024 Activity Report of the Integrated Management System of Rural Fires, including the measures undertaken and pending tasks in fire prevention and forest management.
