The councilors of the Chamber of Faro This week, unanimously approved a motion presented by those elected by the PS (opposition), which demands «the immediate conclusion of the Northern Variant to Faro» and offers « its generic agreement to the two priority investments for the Algarve, as long as they present a realistic budget to the needs of the complete projects, added from the railway branch to the International Airport of Faro and to the Commercial Port of Faro».
A few weeks after the presentation of the report of the Value Added Infrastructures (IEVA) working group in Faro, the nine councilors (PSD/CDS, PS and CDU) formalize the demand that had already been made during the public presentation by the president of the autarchy Rogério Bacalhau.
But, contrary to what was requested at the time by the social-democratic mayor, the motion does not refer to the rescue of the requalification work of the EN 125 by the State, which, according to the Secretary of State for Transport Sérgio Monteiro, would mean that the Algarve would have to choose between this work and the electrification of the Algarve Line.
In the approved motion, it is argued that the criteria used by the IEVA working group did not take into account the specificities of the Algarve, a region that exports services.
The main concern of the working group was «capacity building of the territory and improving the competitiveness of the economy through investments in infrastructure that facilitate the export of tradable goods», which ends up leaving the Algarve on the sidelines.
This will justify, the motion reads, that the investment planned for the Algarve, a region where two of the 30 priority investments identified are located, represent «one percent of the total investment amount planned for the country», which is «a disqualification region in terms of development and its economic capacity'.
The Chamber of Faro it also defends that the funds destined to carry out the two planned works, of around 65 million euros, are "clearly insufficient to carry out any of them by itself".
This is because they consider it necessary that, in addition to the Port of Cruzeiros de Portimão, the Port of Faro be the target of a strong investment. This is a port infrastructure «with 600 thousand tons of cargo transacted, which must be constituted as a Multipurpose Port with adaptation to the various business opportunities, for which reason a study of the requalification of the space and allocation of the corresponding financing is required».
«Assuming the goodness of the railway option, namely the Electrification of the railway between Lagos and Tunis and Faro and Vila Real de Santo António, this Executive cannot fail to stress the mistake that it would be for the regional economy to leave the International Airport of Faro without a rail link, when it is known that 40% of the current 5.5. millions of passengers at the airport admit the use of the railway to connect to their final destination, as well as the construction of a branch to the Commercial Port of Faro, which is 170 meters from the current railway line», add the Faro councilors.
At the same time, they regret that the IEVA report does not resolve "the impasse in the rail link between the Algarve and Andalusia".
Motion presented by the PS councilors in full:
Considering that the Working Group, created by the Government, with the mission of identifying and prioritizing High Value Added Investments for the period of the next Community Support Framework 2014-2020, has already presented its Final Report;
Considering that of the 30 priority projects listed, with a global value of 5.103,8 million euros, two, the Port of Cruises in Portimão and the Modernization with Electrification of the Algarve Railroad, with a value of 55 million euros, will take place in the Algarve;
Considering the availability expressed by the Working Group and the Tutelage for the public participation of all entities and the presentation of proposals and different points of view regarding future priorities for public investment until 2020;
The Executive of the City Council of Faro decides:
1. Regret that taking into account the principles of empowering the territory and improving the competitiveness of the economy through investments in infrastructure that facilitate the export of tradable goods and considering the specificity of the Algarve as the first tourist destination in international demand, therefore exporting essentially services, that such differentiation has not been duly taken care of in the context of this work of a national nature, clearly not adapted to regional needs and specificities;
2. To state that the funds foreseen for the Execution of the two public works planned for the Algarve are manifestly insufficient to execute any of them alone, revealing that the allocation to the Algarve of 1% of the total investment value foreseen for the country is disqualification of the region in terms of development and its economic capacity.
3. There is also a total disinvestment in the road area, when the Algarve is also at this level far below its needs, in particular because the Government has not yet completed the renovation work on National Road 125, nor is there any reference in this document to the IC 27 and to IC4;
4. Recognizing the strategic importance of the Port of Cruzeiros de Portimão, the Municipality of Faro cannot fail to consider that the development of this tourist infrastructure must be done in conjunction with the Commercial Port of Faro, with 600 thousand tons of cargo transacted, which must be constituted as a Multipurpose Port, adapting to the various business opportunities, for which reason a study is needed to requalify the space and provide the corresponding financing.
5. Assuming the goodness of the railway option, namely the Electrification of the railway between Lagos and Tunis and Faro and Vila Real de Santo António, this Executive cannot fail to stress the mistake that it would be for the regional economy to leave the International Airport of Faro without a railway connection, when it is known that 40% of the current 5.5. millions of passengers at the airport admit the use of the railway to connect to their final destination, as well as the construction of a branch to the Commercial Port of Faro, which is 170 meters from the current railway line;
6. This Report cannot also resolve the impasse in the rail connection between the Algarve and Andalusia, neglecting, at least until 2020, the more than 8,4 million inhabitants of that region, its more than 20 million tourists/year and the fact that it is the 4th customer of Portuguese products in the Iberian context;
In conclusion, the Municipality of Faro demands that the Government comply with the requalification of the EN125, namely with the immediate completion of the North Bypass to Faro, deliberating to offer its generic agreement to the two priority investments for the Algarve, provided that they present a realistic budget to the needs of the complete projects, added from the railway branch to the International Airport of Faro and to the Commercial Port of Faro.
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