“The entire process is concluded, and the order will be published very soon, provided the European Union grants authorisation,” stated the Regional Government’s (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) Secretary for the Sea and Fisheries. He spoke during an urgent debate requested by the PS regarding the state of the primary sector at the Regional Assembly plenary session in Horta.

Mário Rui Pinho highlighted the importance of coordinating the implementation of this support with the European Commission and described the process of establishing the marine protected areas as “exemplary.”

This stance came in response to criticism from the PS/Azores, which accused the Regional Government of leaving the sector “bankrupt.”

“The [Regional] Government is late to act, late to announce, and even later to pay. The sector does not need more announcements and intentions. It needs answers, dates, and the support funds actually in their accounts,” warned Socialist MP Gualberto Rita.

PSD MP Hugo Parente praised the Azores Government’s actions, emphasising the importance of supporting fishermen “without running into problems” with European authorities, while criticising the PS’s attitude during the parliamentary debate.

On Thursday, the Azores Government Council approved the allocation of €6.5 million, to be distributed through 2028, to compensate for fishing income losses resulting from the implementation of marine protected areas.

In a statement, the Regional Government announced the approval of a “Compensation Mechanism for Commercial Fishing in the Azores Marine Park (PMA) due to income losses,” with a total allocation of €6.54 million, to be “distributed across the 2026, 2027, and 2028 fiscal years.”

The measure targets “owners or operators of commercial fishing vessels active within the PMA area” and seeks to “mitigate the socioeconomic impacts resulting” from the creation of the marine protected areas.

Previously, on 12 August, the Government of the Azores said it had already notified the European Commission about the compensation mechanism for fishermen affected by the creation of the marine protected areas.

Compensation for fishermen, totalling up to €10 million, resulting from the creation of the Azores Regional Network of Marine Protected Areas will be transferred between 2026 and 2028, according to a Council of Ministers resolution published on 21 January.

This amount, to be transferred annually to the Autonomous Region of the Azores, is distributed over three years, with maximum allocations of €2.5 million in 2026, €4.25 million in 2027, and €3.25 million in 2028.

The new Azores Regional Network of Marine Protected Areas covers 287,000 square kilometres and “contributes significantly to Portugal and the European Union meeting the international conservation goals set for the decade.”