Ana Abrunhosa: Lisbon Region has a significant cut in support until 2030 but PRR can help – Economy
Lisbon’s Regional Operational Program (POR) will slim down by more than half in the next PT2030 community framework, but the region has other support available, such as the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), the Minister for Cohesion said today.
Minister Ana Abrunhosa participated this Monday in a meeting of the Strategic Council of Lisbon and Tagus Valley, where the president of the Coordination and Regional Development Commission (CCDR), Teresa Almeida, explained to mayors and other entities in the region how funds are available and as priorities of the Lisbon Regional Program (POR) of PT2030, approved by the European Commission on December 15th.
This was the first of a series of meetings of the kind with the participation of the minister, who on Tuesday will meet with the Strategic Council of Alentejo and on Friday will be in the North, in Mogadouro.
Overall, the amount allocated to Regional Programs increased, but Lisbon, considered a more developed region, had “a significant cut” in the POR in the next table, from more than 800 MEuro in PT2020 to 381 MEuro in PT2030.
However, Ana Abrunhosa underlined that, on the other hand, “so far, more than 2 thousand MEuros have been approved in the PRR for the Lisbon Metropolitan Area” (AML).
“Therefore, if we add the PRR that the region has, because it was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, and the regional program, we are talking about funds much, much higher than the previous regional program”, he underlined.
“Here there is a need, which I underline as really important, for there to be a great articulation between the regional program and the PRR, because it is the same territory, they are sources of financing that are being applied simultaneously, which can complement and strengthen,” he added.
Among the amounts already approved, 59 MEuro in the area of health, 148 MEuro in the area of Housing, 168 MEuro for Student Accommodation, 218 MEuro in social responses, 737 MEuro for Capitalization and Business Innovation and 1.2 thousand MEuro for various Mobilizing Agendas, with the participation of companies, institutions of the scientific and technological system and public entities of the AML, in addition to the 554 MEuros already approved for the Expansion of the Lisbon Metro and for the Odivelas-Loures Light Rail.
Ana Abrunhosa underlined that in this new program there is more autonomy and more responsibilities attributed to the CCDR to contract with the metropolitan areas or with the intermunicipal communities.
Teresa Almeida, president of CCDR-LVT, highlighted that, in the case of Lisbon, the reduction of funds in the POR is a challenge, but she is optimistic because the region’s economy has demonstrated “the ability to leverage projects”. “With this tool that we have in parallel, the PRR, I think this is the perfect ‘match’ for, where it didn’t participate, go for one, let’s go for the other”, she said.
One official exemplified that in the previous program around 40 Family Health units were financed, but these equipment are currently financed by the PRR, “therefore, it is no longer necessary for the Lisbon program to have this valence”.
In this new community framework, Brussels prioritizes climate change and decarbonization, competitiveness and digitization in regional programs.
The 381 MEuros cake from the Lisboa2030 program will be mainly allocated to innovation and competitiveness (170 MEuros), sustainability and resilience (96 MEuros), social inclusion (55 MEuros) and urban development (48 MEuros).
Through the PT2030, Portugal committed to “allocating 40% of the funds for each region in the area of competitiveness”, to allocate “30% of the funds to decarbonisation and the fight against climate change” and to increase “the commitment to Sustainable Urban Development, which in this Framework rises from a requirement of 5 to 8% of the total budget”, underlined Ana Abrunhosa.