The revision of the Roadmap for Climate Neutrality is among the measures planned in the climate action sector, which also includes revising the National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change (ENAAC) and establishing an Interministerial Commission for Climate Action to strengthen the compliance with the Climate Framework Law.
The government’s program also sets a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels.
In terms of biodiversity protection and nature conservation, the new government program plans to approve the management model of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) and designate new areas to achieve the goal of protecting 30% of the ocean under Portuguese jurisdiction by 2028. This goal advances the United Nations’ objective of protecting 30% of the global ocean by 2030 by two years.
According to the document, the government intends to ensure the development of the National Ecological Restoration Plan, deploy multidisciplinary teams for managing protected areas, create the Bio+ Biodiversity Credits Program, and complete the designation processes of 61 Special Conservation Zones (SCZ), thereby resolving a dispute with the European Union that has led to several fines against Portugal.
The program of the XXV Constitutional Government, formed following the May 18 legislative elections won by the AD (PSD/CDS) coalition, was submitted today to the Assembly of the Republic by the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Carlos Abreu Amorim.
The government program was approved in the Council of Ministers on Thursday and will be debated in the Assembly of the Republic on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Communist Party (PCP) has already announced it will present a motion of rejection, but the initiative is expected to fail, as in addition to the PSD and CDS, it will also lack the support of Chega and the PS.
