During a campaign event focused on sports, the presidential candidate backed by the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) addressed the nation’s ongoing wildfire crisis, identifying it as a “structural problem.”
“The fight against wildfires starts in the winter, with prevention policies, notably including forest cleaning and repopulating rural areas, which should have been addressed but were not,” he lamented.
António Filipe mentioned that in years with particularly severe wildfires, a committee is often appointed to study the situation, diagnose it, and make recommendations, a process he noted has recurred frequently over the decades.
“The problem is that many recommendations remain on paper, and when we face challenging climatic conditions, the fires return with great intensity, which is what we are witnessing,” he stated.
For the PCP-backed candidate, preventing wildfires is crucial, and when they do occur, it is essential to provide maximum support to firefighters and mobilize all available resources, including seeking aid from other countries if necessary.
When asked whether Portugal should activate the European Civil Protection Mechanism, António Filipe argued that such an assessment should be made by civil protection authorities.
“They are better equipped than I am to make that call. If difficulties arise that cannot be overcome with our means, support should be requested, and the Civil Protection authorities will be able to determine the necessity,” he stated.
The former communist deputy emphasized the need to mobilize all available resources to combat the wildfires and subsequently discuss policy changes needed for prevention.
“Unfortunately, we have been noticing this for many years, but the measures often prove insufficient regarding prevention,” he lamented, noting that while anything can be written on paper, the challenge lies in implementation.
António Filipe also urged making the firefighting profession more attractive.
“We need young people to be drawn to firefighting careers and make themselves available, but for this, incentives are required, which currently do not exist,” he appealed.
Furthermore, the state must ensure support so that humanitarian firefighter associations “have sufficient resources to operate.”
