“In my opinion, this case is more of a financial emergency and urgency than a matter of autonomous imperative,” stated Vasco Cordeiro, who led the Regional Government from 2012 to 2020.
The socialist leader spoke to the media during a debate organized by the São Miguel Seniors Association, held in Ponta Delgada, focusing on the revision of the Law of Finances for Autonomous Regions.
Vasco Cordeiro, participating in the session in a “personal capacity,” highlighted the “impact” that the law might have on “the very exercise of autonomy,” suggesting that the demands of the Regional Government (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) regarding the revision are due to the regional public finance situation.
The PS deputy in the Regional Assembly remarked that “nothing prevents” a “single law” from existing for the Azores and Madeira but cautioned about the “different realities” between the two archipelagos.
“The realities are diverse, and attempting to merge these realities into a single solution might be detrimental to the Azores,” he warned.
Vasco Cordeiro opposed the possibility of the Regional Finance Law including specific funds for Health and Education, describing it as “a bad path” for regional autonomy, with “concrete influence on people’s lives.”
“What I fear is that, once we ask the Republic’s Government to cover Education and Health expenses, it will immediately wish to judge the merit of decisions made in those areas,” he emphasized.
The event was expected to include former Azorean Government President Mota Amaral (PSD), who was absent due to health reasons.
The revision of the Regional Finance Law has been a demand of the Government led by José Manuel Bolieiro, advocating changes for the 2026 State Budget.
On August 1, the President of the Republic indicated that “this is the time” for the national and regional executives to discuss the revision of the Regional Finance Law before “another crisis” sidelines the issue.
A proposal for the law’s revision was commissioned by the Azorean and Madeira governments from lawyer and university professor Eduardo Paz Ferreira.
On July 17, during the State of the Nation debate, the Prime Minister stated the government’s willingness to engage in “more intensive” discussions on the Regional Finance Law revision.
Mota Amaral, in an article published in the regional press on July 22, called for the urgent revision of the Finance Law, arguing that it must become “the outcry of a people.”
