The Algarve’s PSD MEPs Mendes Bota and Elsa Cordeiro are on a new mission: this time to save the Algarve’s last military bastion, the historic Quartel da Atalaia in Tavira.
In an impassioned plea to parliament, the duo say they have heard on the grapevine that the government intends to shut down the barracks and then dispose of the ancient building.
Contending that this would leave the south of the country “undefended” in terms of a military presence, the pair stress the barracks’ strategic importance and the whole issue of national sovereignty.
Indeed, they say, the barracks’ importance is recognised by Algarvians in general, not simply the people of Tavira – and the barracks has played a pivotal role in civil protection, particularly when it comes to helping the forestry commission combat fires.
Thus the pair are demanding a “declaration of intentions” from the Ministry of National Defence.
The Atalaia barracks dates back to 1795 and currently houses the country’s No.1 Infantry Regiment. It has a rich history that has dwindled over the years and since 1996 has housed the military holiday centre, Centro Militar de Férias de Tavira.
