In statements made on Pico Island in the Azores, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa emphasized prioritizing prevention over extreme measures in response to potential future situations, rather than treating the current situation with undue severity compared to experiences in other countries.
The President spoke following the request made on Wednesday by the mayor of Ponte da Barca to the Government, advocating for the activation of the European Civil Protection Mechanism or other bilateral agreements with countries to combat the fire in the Peneda-Gerês National Park.
“It seems prudent not to start making appeals that are disproportionate to the times we live in and the circumstances we are facing, as this trivializes the request and makes it more difficult to access it in the event of a more severe emergency,” he said.
Marcelo mentioned that he visited the Civil Protection, without media presence, the previous Tuesday, where he gathered insights regarding the activation of the European Civil Protection Mechanism.
The President also noted that regarding the fire in Ponte da Barca, the municipality is already receiving support from Spanish resources, highlighting an agreement that allows automatic intervention from both sides up to 25 kilometers from the border.
The request from the social-democratic mayor of Ponte da Barca followed several unsuccessful appeals made to the Government for reinforcements of aerial support to combat the fire that started on Saturday in the Peneda-Gerês National Park.
“It is impossible to fight this fire with just one aerial resource. This phrase says it all. I am indignant, outraged,” Augusto Marinho declared to Lusa.
On the same day, Portugal requested satellite assistance from the European Union (EU) through the Copernicus system, but has not yet activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism, the European Commission informed Lusa.
According to the European Commission, no request to activate the European Civil Protection Mechanism has been made so far, but the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) has requested satellite images for the fires affecting the municipalities of Arouca, in the district of Aveiro, and Ponte da Barca, in the district of Viana do Castelo.
