“There is a structural delay that we are correcting with realism and determination,” acknowledged the minister during a speech at an information session on the artistic and infrastructure programs of the initiative, held in Évora.
Noting a “full awareness that the schedules are demanding,” the minister emphasized that “the physical and financial execution of the PRR [Recovery and Resilience Plan] by June 2026 requires acting with focus, agility, and coordination capacity.”
“But we also know there’s a willingness, talent, and installed capacity in the territory, and that is what matters to mobilize,” emphasized the minister, who also holds the portfolios for Sports and Youth.
Margarida Balseiro Lopes reminded that less than two years remain before the start of CEC Évora 2027, noting that now “is the time for accelerated preparation, to execute, to act, and to mobilize civil society.”
“It is the moment to ensure this project tangibly reaches the people,” she remarked.
This session, conducted at the Convent of São Bento de Cástris, the headquarters of the managing association of the initiative, on the city outskirts, followed a series of meetings between the minister, the Évora City Council, and the direction and general assembly of the association.
In concluding remarks to journalists, the minister highlighted that she sought to “demonstrate the Government’s commitment to this project, which is of national interest” during these meetings.
“The Government’s commitment, beyond what involved the reprogramming of the PRR [26 million euros to upgrade the city’s heritage], is to be present and to allow Évora 2027 to be a success, and it has all the conditions to be one,” she stated.
When questioned by journalists about disagreements concerning the form of municipal financing, which the council wants to partially be in kind, Margarida Balseiro Lopes indicated she observed “great harmony and capacity for interaction.”
“If this is the hallmark, which I believe it will be every day until January 1, 2027, I have no doubts that all the challenges will indeed be overcome,” she added.
On the creation of the Alentejo Regional Orchestra, which her predecessor, Dalila Rodrigues, committed to last April, the current minister revealed it is one of the various topics she has to work on in the coming days or weeks.
