Municipalities risk losing right to apply for European funding
Fourteen municipalities in mainland Portugal – including five in the Algarve – have yet to begin the legally required revision of their Municipal Master Plans (PDMs) and are at risk of losing the right to apply for European Union funding.
According to the latest data from the Ministry of Territorial Cohesion, only 84 out of mainland Portugal’s 278 municipalities have completed the revision of their PDMs, while 180 are in the process of doing so.
The 14 that have yet to begin, and which run the serious risk of losing the right to apply for European funding, are Albufeira, Aljezur, Castro Marim, Portimão, and São Brás de Alportel in the Algarve; Almeida and Forno de Algordes in Guarda; Santa Comba Dão, Castro Daire, Tabuaço and Vouzela in Viseu; Gavião in Portalegre; and Idanha-a-Nova and Sertã in Castelo Branco.
As Lusa news agency explains, the PDM is a key planning document for every municipality in Portugal, outlining strategies for land use, infrastructure, and overall development. However, regular updates are required to keep up with legal changes and evolving local needs.
In 2015, the government introduced new legal guidelines requiring municipalities to update their PDMs to comply with the new Regime Jurídico dos Instrumentos de Gestão Territorial (Legal Regime for Land Planning Instruments), giving municipalities five years to do so. However, as municipalities have continuously failed to respect the deadline, it has been extended several times, with the final date now set for December 2024. Municipalities were asked to present their first proposal for the revision of their PDMs by May 31, 2024, a deadline which the 14 lagging municipalities failed to respect.
As the ministry of territorial cohesion has explained, municipalities that miss the deadline are subject to the sanction of losing the right to apply for European funds, except in areas related to health, education, housing, or social support.
“The municipalities are aware of the legal rule that provides for the loss of access to certain European funds, and this rule will be enforced after a prior hearing process, aimed at determining the reasons for the non-compliance,” the ministry told Lusa.
michael.bruxo@portugalresident.com
