Civic alliance ‘Salvar Faro com Coração’ has heavily-criticised EC funds coming to the Algarve as being a “drop in the ocean of necessities”.
Calling it “an injustice”, the independent organisation claims the money represents only 1% of what is being spent nationally.
“Facing strong marginalisation, deep-seated structural inequalities and an annual number of visitors that exceeds the entire Portuguese population (more than 10 million), the ‘Save Faro’ alliance considers that the €319 million earmarked in the Operational Programme for the Algarve (PO Algarve) are a drop in the ocean of necessities,” affirmed former Faro Mayor and head of the alliance José Vitorino (pictured).
He added many of the Algarve’s infrastructures are at a point of collapse, listing the health service, roads, railway line, ports and even security.
Money should be spent instead on “revitalising the two-thirds of Algarve territory that lies abandoned, connecting the railway to Andalusia, doing away with motorway tolls, upgrading the EN125, constructing a central hospital and getting a rail link to the airport, docks and ports”.
Thus the EC’s funding for the Algarve needs “profound alterations” if not complete rethinking, stressed Vitorino. It’s likely that these ideas will be put at the CCDR debate on the subject, due to go ahead at the Lídia Jorge Municipal Library in Albufeira on Friday (February 28). Admission is free.
For a programme of the upcoming debate, see www.ccdr-alg.pt.
