The Government of the Azores starts Tuesday the Statutory Visit to the island of Pico, during which the President of the Regional Government, Vasco Cordeiro, will chair the ceremony to lay the first stone of Piedade Night Centre and the implementation of the Monitoring Network of the Hydrological Cycle of the Central and Western Group Islands.

During this visit, the Government will pay special attention to several issues concerning the cooperative sector, tourism and fisheries. As usual, the Government will meet with the Island Council and receive the locals who wish to pose their questions directly to the members of the Regional Government.

In the beginning of this visit to Pico, the President of the Government will visit vineyard area that was recovered as part of a tourism project, with a wine production area that stretches over 44 hectares.

In the early afternoon, Vasco Cordeiro travels to Mourato Quay to visit the electrified zone and will also visit the renewal works of Madalena Fish Market and the Refrigerator Storage Unit.

The programme of the first day of this visit ends with a meeting of the Regional Government with the Island Council, which will be followed by a meeting of the Council of the Government.

On the following next day, the President of the Government presides over the ceremony to lay the first stone of Piedade Night Centre, whose construction falls under the Government's commitment to improve the conditions for the provision of care to the elderly. Vasco Cordeiro will also visit the Dairy Cooperative of Pico Island, where you will have a meeting with the Director of Lactopico.

On Wednesday afternoon, Vasco Cordeiro presides over the signing ceremony of the contract for the implementation of the Monitoring Network of the Hydrological Cycle of Central and Western Groups as well as the presentation of the Monitoring Network of the Hydrological Cycle of the Azores, which will include about one hundred stations throughout the archipelago. These events will take place before the government members receive local residents who wish to pose questions directly; the latter initiative has been implemented in all statutory visits made the current legislative period as part of a proximity policy with the Azorean population.

As usual, the programme of this visit to Pico also includes visits of Government members to ongoing investments and meetings with various local entities.

The telemedicine consultation in Endocrinology, the signing of a protocol between the Island Health Unit and the Horta Hospital to ensure the provision of specialist in Internal Medicine for Emergency services of Madalena Health Centre and the authorisation of housing support in three municipalities of Pico are other initiatives that are part of the programme of this statutory visit.

Furthermore, the visit to Pico includes, among other initiatives, the presentation of the project for detrital flows retention in Ribeira do Dilúvio (stream) in São Caetano as well as the contract work for the improvement and renewal of the east road in São Roque do Pico and the opening of the Wild Birds Recovery Centre.