Luís Montenegro made this announcement at a press conference following an extraordinary Council of Ministers meeting in Viseu, aimed at approving support measures for populations affected by forest fires.
The Prime Minister stated that during this meeting, the government approved a forest intervention plan for 2025 to 2050, which will now be submitted to the National Assembly for “debate on its content.”
The goal of this debate, according to Luís Montenegro, is to “achieve consensus on a genuine pact for forest management and protection” of the national territory.
“We will also send this document to the European Commission, following a conversation I had today with the President of the European Commission, to integrate many of its measures and actions into the funding that the European Commission is willing to provide to Member States that promote prevention policies,” he emphasized.
When questioned about the content of the forest intervention plan, Luís Montenegro stated that it would be presented by the Minister of Agriculture and the Sea and would be further explored in the National Assembly debate, but the aim is for it to be “interpreted by everyone as a pact.”
“A national pact, a pact of non-divergence or, if you will, convergence, for a 25-year effort in promoting policies for proper land management, enhancing forests, capitalizing on forest production, stimulating economic activity, particularly agriculture,” he noted.
According to the head of the government, this pact also aims to reconcile “all interests” to ensure a “populated territory with people, businesses, and activity,” which would “significantly reduce the occurrence of fires.”
In his initial statement, Luís Montenegro expressed being “extremely sensitive to the frustrations” of the Portuguese people and acknowledged that, despite having “the largest firefighting force ever,” not “everything went or goes well” and “not always can these large-scale and long-duration fires be avoided.”
“The government prioritized the protection of people’s lives and the homes of our citizens’ families. While we weren’t on the front lines, we were always close to those in operational command and leading the firefighting tasks,” he stated.
The Prime Minister recognized the necessity to “conduct a thorough evaluation of this firefighting period” and also on “prevention policies that can prevent” the country from reaching the current situation.
“The government has long been taking measures in this regard. And it is willing to, together with everyone, project the adoption and implementation of policies and measures that adapt to the reality we face in the coming years,” he said.
[Updated at 21:56]
