The Regional Government will present the legal framework for the new generation of incentive schemes at the Legislative Assembly later this year so that Azorean businesspeople may apply for the new support measures to investments from January 1, 2014, announced the President of the Government.

"Contrary to what happened in the past, the Government intends to present the new legal framework for the operation of this new generation of incentive schemes at the Legislative Assembly during 2013 in order to avoid any break between the transition from the current scheme, whose application period ends in December 31, 2013, to the new one; therefore, businesspeople will have the possibility of applying for the new incentive schemes from January 1, 2014," said Vasco Cordeiro.

At the opening of the technological centre of the company New Tour, which has created 12 jobs on the island of Graciosa, Vasco Cordeiro recalled that the new incentive schemes are provided in the Azorean Agenda for Employment Creation and Business Competitiveness that was approved at the beginning of the current legislative period; the latter consists of sixty measures, of which 57 percent (35 measures) have either been implemented or are at implementation stage.

"We will address the next Community framework with determination." In this context, "we want that the concept of smart specialisation be one of the cornerstones of our action as well as a strategic goal in the path we want to follow," said the President of the Government in his speech delivered at the ceremony held on the second day of the Government's statutory visit to Graciosa.

Vasco Cordeiro defended that the next Community framework must be, like no other in the past, "a driving force for the structural transformation of our production sector and the improvement of our competitiveness as an economy and a Region as well as a key factor in the creation of conditions to ensure the sustainability of the Azores."

The President of the Regional Government also stressed that the Government should be responsible for assuring the necessary resources, establishing the framework for the creation of a favourable environment to entrepreneurship and innovation and creating the mechanisms to ensure that research projects are quickly implemented in the market.

In his speech, Vasco Cordeiro highlighted the fact that the technological centre opened in Santa Cruz da Graciosa provides many innovative services, particularly to travel agencies and tourism. This creation of this centre also meets the goals set in the Strategic Plan for the Promotion of Entrepreneurship in the Azores, which was recently approved the Azorean Government.

"Considering that the Region has a great potential in the creation and development of innovative projects as well as the conditions to be competitive in several areas at an international level, such as technology-related services, the Regional Government has created various measures to foster entrepreneurship and innovation and decrease the risk associated to these investments," stated the President of the Government.

"The Government reiterates here and now its commitment to create a stimulating environment for business efficiency, through several policies to encourage investment and the creation of a wide range of mechanisms to support private initiative," Vasco Cordeiro stated, reminding that the current incentive scheme, SIDER, has made possible several important investments on the "cohesion islands."

"In this regard, it is important to mention that 31 applications from Graciosa have been submitted to date, representing an investment of 15.3 million Euros and the creation of 71 jobs," revealed the President of the Government of the Azores.