The new legislation amends the Financial Regime for Local Authorities—approved in July by the Assembly of the Republic—to address a gap created because Corvo is the only municipality in the country without autonomous parishes.

Under the newly published legislation, this Azorean municipality (home to only about 400 residents) will now receive allocations from the Parish Financing Fund, given that it “also performs the local-level functions and competencies typical of a parish.”

Consequently, funds transferred by the Central Administration will be recorded directly as the municipality’s own revenue, strengthening the local budget and enabling a better response to the island population’s immediate needs.

“The transfers provided for in this article shall be recorded as the own revenue of the municipality of Corvo Island and allocated to the performance of functions that would legally fall to the parish,” states the newly published legislation.

Fund allocation

The amount to be transferred to the municipality will be determined by the Directorate-General for Local Authorities (DGAL), which is responsible for calculating and transferring the funds “within the same timeframes and under the same conditions applicable to parishes in the rest of the national territory.”

Corvo is the only Portuguese municipality without a Parish Council; the municipality itself assumes the council’s responsibilities. The published legislation stems from a proposal submitted by the regional parliament to the Assembly of the Republic, arguing that the municipal government should receive the funds otherwise allocated to a parish council via the FFF.

Also published in the *Diário da República* (Official Gazette) was a decree establishing mechanisms to promote and mandate the use of iodised salt in the Azores—a micronutrient considered essential for proper human thyroid function.

“Iodine deficiency during pregnancy, in newborns, and in school-age children is associated with adverse effects on brain development and is identified as one of the leading preventable causes of mental impairment,” the decree states.

Consequently, the use of iodised salt becomes mandatory for meal preparation across all public services and entities within the Regional Administration—both direct and indirect—that operate canteens, dining halls, or snack bars; this includes public institutes, autonomous funds, and the public business sector.

Credit system

Another decree establishes a system of time credits for parents and guardians of basic and secondary education students in the Azores, enabling them to attend meetings of consultative and coordinating bodies regarding local, regional, or national education.

Parents and guardians are now entitled to one day per school term to attend School Assemblies or Class Councils, one day per month if they serve on the Pedagogical Council, and one day every two months if they participate in meetings of the Commissions for the Protection of Children and Young People.

“Absences taken under this credit system are paid and count as actual service for all legal purposes, except regarding the meal allowance,” the decree notes; it also establishes specific time credits for federations and associations of parents and guardians.

Presidents of parent and guardian association boards are entitled to one day off per month if the association has up to 500 members, one and a half days per month for 500 to 1,000 members, and two days per month for more than 1,000 members.