Micro, small and medium companies in the Azores will now have the opportunity of benefiting from specialised technical monitoring to support their revitalisation under a new programmed that will enter to operation soon, announced the President of the Government.

According to Vasco Cordeiro, the Revitalisation Programme for Azorean Companies (PREA), integrated in the Azorean Agenda for Employment Creation and Business Competitiveness, will be implemented in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Azores.

The President of the Regional Government spoke on the island of Faial, where he visited Monte Carneiro Construções, a company that employs 20 people and holds the status of "PME Líder" (Small and Medium Company LEADER) since 2009.

According to Vasco Cordeiro, this new programme falls within "the effort the Azorean Government is undertaking to create the conditions for companies to take on increasing competitiveness so that they can carry out their activities more effectively and maintain jobs."

PREA provides companies with specialised technical support in two different areas, stressed the President of the Government.

The first concerns the restructuring of viable micro, small and medium companies that, despite being in operation, are faced with several challenges, particularly in the access to credit.

The other area of PREA aims to support micro, small and medium  Azorean companies wishing to boost their competitiveness by developing a growth strategy through acquisition, merger or other form of business concentration.

"We believe that this programme is a further contribution towards the achievement of these two major goals that guide the Government's action in this field: the reinforcement of the competitiveness of our companies and the maintenance and creation of jobs," concluded Vasco Cordeiro.