Rui Rio demands from the Government "appropriate measures" to the economic reality of the Algarve

The Government "has the obligation" to create "appropriate measures" to the difficult economic situation that the Algarve is already experiencing and will worsen, defended today Rui Rio, president of the PSD, on the sidelines of a meeting with Algarve businessmen, at the Albufeira Chamber.

«What I understand, from what I've heard, is that beyond the cross-cutting measures that have to exist for the Portuguese economy, here there is, in fact, a specificity: the great dependence that the Algarve has on tourism, as this is the sector of activity most affected by the pandemic», said Rui Rio.

Therefore, "the Government has, of course, the obligation to look at this region and its specificity".

Defending that tourism is "very important for Portugal's balance of payments", the leader of the main opposition party said that the government has "to find measures that are not even of positive discrimination, they are measures appropriate to the circumstances" of the Algarve.

In other words, «the Algarve cannot be treated in the same way as the North or the Center or Lisbon».

«This more concentrated support in August and September, to companies, through the lay-off might make sense, but, in fact, these months are the least bad – within the bad that all this is. Given the seasonality, in October, November and thereafter, if companies do not have a minimally balanced income in the summer – and we know they are not – how will they face the low season?” he asked.

«We expect serious social problems here in the Algarve and, as such, we have time, I'm not saying to solve them, because it's impossible, but to alleviate them», considered Rui Rio.

Thus, it would be pertinent “support in view of this circumstance, which it is only in April that things may perhaps alleviate”. After all, this «is a specificity that exists in the Algarve and that does not exist elsewhere in the country».

The leader of the main opposition party came to the Algarve to listen to businesspeople and the associations that represent them to “take care of reality”.

And what he heard from the representatives of eight business associations was an account of a situation that is, in itself, very complicated and that tends to get worse as of the autumn.

In the part of the meeting open to the media, in which the association leaders were called to give their testimony, there was complete harmony.

After all, as several of the speakers pointed out, the Algarve's business associations have been in contact, to speak with the Government with one voice.

Thus, the vision demonstrated yesterday by Elidérico Viegas, from AHETA, in statements to journalists, after a meeting with the Secretary of State for Tourism it ends up being also adopted by the other associations, namely NERA, ACRAL, AIHSA, CEAL, Algarve Anima and ANJE – the ARHESP representative cannot give his vision in the presence of journalists.

In other words, the associations consider that the measures announced yesterday, nationwide, are not suited to the reality of the Algarve.

What would be needed, the association leaders said, would be the continuation of the simplified lay-off, complemented by a subsidized training program in the low season, as well as the extension of the bank loan payment moratorium and tax deferral until the end of 2021 , among other measures.

Rui Rio listened to the “alerts and concerns”, but hotly refused to commit to any of the proposals put forward by the representatives of the businessmen.

Asked, specifically, about the extension of the moratoriums and deferral of taxes until the end of 2021, the leader of the PSD said "admit yes", but stressed that he "has yet to see".

"I expect, at the end of the day, to have in my head those that I consider the measures that could be most impactful, among everything that was said", he assured.

“I'm here listening to take care of reality. Because it's very different to be out of places where problems exist, where we hear about them and look at the numbers. We perceive, but we don't feel», he said.

In fact, he said, this consultation on the spot it was something that "should be done by the Government, in particular by the Minister of Economy".

“All these entrepreneurs made an effort, even intellectual, to find solutions and proposals, because they are the ones who are experiencing the problems,” he said.

“It is always important to listen before announcing measures”, concluded Rui Rio.

Photos: Barbara Caetano|Sul Informação