The theme of the session was Tourism and the occasion was the anniversary of the Algarve Tourism Region, but this was not the sector most focused on by Pedro Passos Coelho, in his intervention at the opening session of the ceremony to commemorate 45 years of RTA , which took place this Wednesday, at the Hotel Ria Park, in Vale de Lobo.
The Prime Minister took the opportunity to deliver a speech very focused on defending the much-vaunted improvement in the country's economic situation. At the same time, he showed that he has not forgotten the old promise of a new Central Hospital for the Algarve, which, he said, will be "built in its time".
Outside, the screams of around 50 protesters who gathered beside the hotel's gates, hoping to say their justice, directly, to the leader of the Government, could no longer be heard. Something they failed to do, despite the concentration having started well before the time when Pedro Passos Coelho's intervention was expected.
In front of an audience made up of entrepreneurs, leaders of public entities and academics in the Algarve, Passos Coelho took the opportunity to report on the progress he believes had been achieved, in terms of the health sector, in the region.
«The hospitals in the Algarve had debts, which we inherited, amounting to around 120 million euros. Today they do not have any debt and we have increased clinical production”, said Pedro Passos Coelho, who guarantees that “there were never as many clinical procedures as now”.
The Prime Minister's optimism in this matter and in relation to the prospects for the country's sustainable economic development in the future were not shared by the demonstrators. The protests against the demolitions on the barrier islands of the Ria Formosa dominated the posters, but there was no lack of shouts of order against government policies, dismissal requests and the demand for the execution of works on the EN125 and the abolition of tolls on Via do Infante.
These last two issues were also addressed by the president of the RTA, who spoke moments before the Prime Minister. In his speech, Desidério Silva complained about what he considered "the devaluation to which the region has been voted for over the years", in which "investment proportional to the importance of the region" was lacking.
The delay in rehabilitating the EN125 is one of the examples it gives, with Desidério Silva taking the opportunity to demand that «a study be carried out on the impact of tolls on Via do Infante», to assess whether it was worth it. He also asked that the promises of investment in the railway and in the ports of the Algarve be fulfilled quickly.
The reduction in RTA's budget allocation, despite the fact that it was promoted in Spain, and the “context costs” that weigh on entrepreneurs in the sector, were also highlighted.
In the latter case, Desidério Silva clarified that issues of a different nature are at stake, including the fiscal one, recalling the increase in VAT for restoration, a measure that the region's living forces have been contesting for a long time.
«We must look at Tourism with new eyes, valuing the sector and the Algarve», defended Desidério Silva.
The president of the RTA launched the challenge, but Passos Coelho did not respond. The Government leader preferred to emphasize the growth of the tourism sector and its importance for the trade balance and increase in exports. And, he said, despite the region representing «a very significant part» of this sector, «we must bet on tourism, beyond the Algarve».
On the sidelines of the session, Desidério Silva downplayed the fact that he did not receive an answer to his challenge and believes that Passos Coelho heard him and that it will be discussed by the members of the Government. "I'm sure it didn't come out in deaf ears, not least because there was recognition here, on the part of the prime minister, of the weight that the Algarve has in national tourism," he said.
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