AMAL – Algarve Intermunicipal Community should not assume, in 2019, the four powers that the Government decentralized. The Municipality of Silves will propose to the Municipal Assembly not to accept the new attributions to be transferred to the Intermunicipal Communities (CIM), which will lead to the absence of the mandatory unanimity that would allow the entity that brings together the 16 Municipalities of the Algarve to have more responsibilities in the areas of Civil Protection – Fire, Justice, Tourism and Management of Regional European Funds.
The next AM in Silves, where the non-acceptance of new assignments will be on the Agenda, is only scheduled for February 22nd. Even so, it is almost certain that the proposal will pass, bearing in mind that the CDU, the party by which Rosa Palma was elected president of the Chamber, has a majority in this body.
Even without Silves' lead, it was already known that the competences in the area of Tourism would not be transferred to AMAL, as both AM from Olhão and Loulé rejected the assumption, by the Intermunicipal Community, of this competence. However, they accepted the others.
The scenario of a lead in the transfer to the Algarve CIM of the competences foreseen in the decentralization diplomas already published in Diário da República – there are more competences to decentralize, namely in education and health, but the answer only has to be given later – it was already anticipated by AMAL president Jorge Botelho, last week.
«We, the mayors, have already approved here at AMAL, by an overwhelming majority, to accept these competences. Now, whether it advances or not depends on the unanimous approval of the 16 Municipal Assemblies. Each assembly and each mayor assumes its responsibility», illustrated Jorge Botelho, on the sidelines of a meeting between the mayors of the Algarve and the Minister of Internal Affairs, who was accompanied by other members of the Government.
Preventing the CIM from taking on the new powers that the Central State is passing on to these entities seems to be the CDU's strategy at the national level.
Also the CIM of Lezíria do Tejo, which brings together ten municipalities in the district of Santarém and another in Lisbon, Azambuja, will not be able to assume new powers, due to the lead from Alpiarça and Benavente, where the CDU has a majority.
In this case, the CIM even loses powers, as it has been managing European Union Funds for a long time. Now, it will have to stop doing it – although in 2021, the year in which the assumption of competences becomes mandatory, it will regain this responsibility.
Although Jorge Botelho said a week ago, that the decentralization process is "gradual" and that "nobody looks at anyone and says: I'm more of a decentralizer than you", the lead that is expected to come out of the AM de Silves should not go down well with the other mayors in the region, since the vast majority of mayors wanted to see AMAL with more competences.
Comments