Sever do Vouga, Aveiro, Portugal, Sept. 30, 2024 (Lusa) - Portugal's president argued on Monday that the recent wildfires are a national cause, considering it necessary to provide an immediate response with "speed, rigour and efficiency" to the people and companies affected.
"It seems obvious that the first priority is to give the most immediate response possible to those who have suffered," said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, during a meeting in Sever do Vouga with 69 mayors from the districts affected by the fires of recent days, which was also attended by the prime minister, the deputy minister for territorial cohesion and the interior minister.
The head of state added that this response must be "swift, rigorous and effective", warning that if this situation is not resolved in a very short time, it will no longer be resolved.
"The issue's media and politically significant time has passed (...) and it's a missed opportunity. This cannot and will not be a missed opportunity," he said, telling the mayors not to let go of the prime minister for a minute.
Marcelo also emphasised that this is ‘a national cause’, saying that "it is above convergences, divergences, sensitivities of other kinds".
In his speech, the head of state recalled the fires that occurred in the central region in 2017, adding that at the time there was still legal debate about whether it was possible to compensate the victims.
"Today that's outdated, but the problem is this: an immediate response, with speed, rigour and efficiency. Everyone deserves it. It protects the suffering communities, it protects those who took part in the fight and it protects the mayors," he said.
The country's president also argued that it is necessary to reflect on the solution given to the 2017 fires, to see what went well and what deserves to be rethought.
"There was a lot that was done in the aftermath of 2017, which was done well, and a lot that didn't produce the results that we hoped it would," he said, giving the example of the land registers, where "a lot of progress has been made, but there are still huge areas where there is no land register coverage".
With regard to response capacity, Marcelo said that, in general, "it has improved a lot compared to the panorama of 2017", particularly with regard to air resources, but he considered that "it is worth reflecting on what can be done even better".
JDN/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
