The Regional Secretary for Natural Resources considered that the Constitutional Court's ruling vindicates the regional claims by confirming that the management of marine mineral resources is not an exclusive power of the State, as defended by the Government of the Azores.

"The ruling of the Constitutional Court clarified that the shared management of the sea should be recognised," Luís Neto Viveiros said to journalists, adding that this decision will be, thus, "embodied as a fundamental right."

The Regional Secretary defended the importance of "defining the terms in which this shared management should be carried out." In this context, the Autonomous Region of the Azores "has debated its definition over time" and assured that the Government "will everything within its reach to achieve this goal."

Luís Neto Viveiros also announced that the Government of the Azores will propose the necessary amendments to the Regional Legislative Decree no.21/2012/A of May 9 establishing the Legal Scheme on the Discovery and Exploitation of Natural Resources found in the Earth's crust in order to meet the provisions of the Constitutional Court's ruling.