The Single Inspection and Supervision Platform for Agriculture, the Sea and the Environment (iFAMA), for environmental complaints and denunciations, which went live on Monday, involves 16 public entities, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy said today.
Presented as”a single point of entry, management and centralization of complaints” of the General Inspection of Agriculture, Sea, Environment and Spatial Planning (IGAMAOT), iFAMA has a partnership with the latter, the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), the regional coordination and development commissions of the North, Centre, Lisbon and Tagus Valley, Alentejo and Algarve and the directorates-general of Agriculture and Rural Development, Food and Veterinary, Natural Resources, Safety and Maritime Services and Territory.
It also involves Docapesca – Portos e Lotas, the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) and the Vine and Wine (IVV), Douro and Port Wine (IVDP) and Agriculture and Fisheries Financing (IFAP) institutes.
In operation since Monday, iFAMA is an online portal for complaints to IGAMAOT that citizens can use “to report irregularities quickly and efficiently”, and was highlighted by the Minister for the Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, as an “example of measures that promote transparency and accountability within public organizations and institutions”.
“On this portal, citizens are informed about which issues they can report in the areas of agriculture, the sea and the environment. Once submitted, citizens will be informed by the public body to which their complaints have been forwarded as to the follow-up and treatment given to them until their conclusion,” reads the statement released today by the executive.
It points out that iFAMA is “a new approach to handling complaints”, as it allows, among other things, “citizens to access information about the management of their complaint and the possibility of presenting new facts about an ongoing complaint”.
“This is an essential measure to ensure integrity, transparency and trust in public institutions. The creation of specific portals, such as iFAMA, facilitates the efficient management of complaints, providing a secure and accessible channel for citizens to report irregularities,” said Maria da Graça Carvalho, quoted in the statement.
According to the minister, “the existence of an efficient system for managing complaints contributes to increasing trust in public authorities, by allowing citizens to see that their complaints will be treated seriously and that measures will be taken to resolve the problems reported”.
“Therefore, a well-structured whistleblowing management system, which promotes a safe environment where people can report irregularities without fear of retaliation, can promote transparency and accountability within public organizations and institutions,” he emphasizes.
According to Decree-Law no. 32/2024, of 10 May, which establishes the organization and functioning regime of the XXIV Government, IGAMAOT is headed jointly by the Minister for the Environment and Energy, the Deputy Minister for Territorial Cohesion, the Minister for the Economy and the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries.
