The Government of the Azores has adopted the Strategic Plan for the Promotion of Entrepreneurship 2013-2016, which intends to provide the Region with a tool that allows to control the main structural factors, through a series of coherent and consistent measures, in order to stimulate entrepreneurship.

According to the press release of the meeting held by the Council of the Government on São Jorge in the context of the Government's statutory visit to that island, "the Plan's main goal is to create a favourable environment for entrepreneurship in the Azores, involving the Government, companies, entities of regional scientific and technological system, education system and civil society. The parties concerned should take part in this process through a concerted action in their different fields in order to foster entrepreneurial activity in the Region and optimise the socio-economic outcome."

The recently approved Strategic Plan also intends to "recognise the importance of entrepreneurship in promoting innovation and competitiveness as well as disseminate the Azores as a particularly favourable region for entrepreneurship and as a tool capable of enhancing the creativity deemed necessary for economic development."

Among other measures, the Azorean Government has approved the allocation of incentives to three investment projects, amounting to 13.3 million Euros, under the Subsystem to Support Strategic Development of the Incentive Scheme for Regional Development (SIDER).

The supported projects concern the construction of a hydraulic system for the diversion of flows from Pico Vermelho Geothermal Power Plant, the drilling of a new geothermal injection well at Ribeira Grande Geothermal Power Plant and the renewal works of Terra Nostra Garden Hotel to upgrade the hotel's category to 4 stars.

The Government of the Azores has also implemented another measure of the Azorean Agenda for Employment Creation and Competitiveness by increasing the monthly amount allocated to the companies hiring workers on a fixed-term contract, no shorter than 6 months and no longer than 24 months, by 90%; the same support measure will be applied to the payments to Social Security.

Furthermore, the Council of the Government has also decided to stipulate the allocation of support to initiatives with relevance for the promotion of the Azores Destination under the public funding scheme in the amount of one million Euros.

The press release stressed that "the development of tourism in the Azores is one of the main goals set out in the Programme of XI Regional Government. In this context, the support to promotional campaigns and tourist animation events that bring added value to the Region is fundamental, particularly with the organisation of events that attract tourists in the low and mid seasons."
 
The amendment to the legislation regulating the exercise of tourist guide activities in the Region was also approved at the meeting of the Council of the Government, following the recommendations issued by the European Commission regarding the compliance with the guidelines on the recognition of professional qualifications in order to eliminate the difference of criteria for the exercise of the same activity in national territory.

Accordingly, the Government intends to "eliminate from regional legislation the legal requirement for a Professional License for the exercise of tourist guide activities. This amendment also "allows EU tourist guides travelling with groups of tourists from other Member States to provide information services when visiting sites of tourist interest. Under the terms of this amendment, tourist guides from EU Member States should hold the education and professional qualifications legally required in their country of origin."

The Council of the Government has also decided to approve the Management Plan of the Hydrographic Region of the Azores (PGRH-Açores), which will be in effect until December 31, 2015. The plan encompasses all hydrographic basins of the archipelago, including groundwaters and adjacent coastal waters.