The Azores were the first Region of the Country to put in execution the Community funds for the period 2007-2013, being the PROCONVERGÊNCIA the only program at national level to have been already audited by the General Inspection of Finances for purposes of certification of the respective system of management and, consequently, with authorization to proceed, immediately, to the payment of the new Community funds.

The announcement was done today, in Angra do Heroísmo, by the vice president of the Government, Sérgio Ávila, in press conference meant for presenting the reports of execution of the Community programs PRODESA and PROCONVERGÊNCIA.

The governor announced also that, in this context, 58 candidatures were already submitted, with a global value of investment of 207 million euros and that make possible a support of the FEDER of 162 million euros, which corresponds already to 17% of the total of the available funds till 2013.

Of this total, the Government of the Azores presented 28 candidatures, which represent an investment of 162,1 million euros, in the areas of the environment, sea and land transport, fisheries, education and culture.

The town councils applied already 19 projects of investment in the amount of 25,1 million euros, for interventions in the areas of the municipal road networks, order of the territory and nets of water supply.

In its turn, the chambers of trade and industry of the Azores delivered four candidatures, with a value of 1,9 million euros, as part of the tourist activity and promotion of the economical activity in the Region, the Port Administrations made already two intentions of investment real in the amount of 6,4 million euros for enlargement of two ports and the University of the Azores applied a project in the value of 5,4 million euros.

Of the 58 submitted projects, 35 investments were already approved, as part of the new Community Support Framework, in a total value of 88 million euros, of which 75 millions are of support.

From the set of the approved candidatures, expenses in the amount of 19,1 million euros were already presented, having been already paid fully the corresponding supports in the value of 16,3 millions.

In what it respects to the III Community Support Framework, (QCA) which conclusion is in December of 2008, the Operational Program for the Development of the Azores - PRODESA, already registers a rate of financial execution superior to 94%, which corresponds to an already paid financing of 808,6 million euros.

These indicators represent a level of execution much superior to the national average, which is of 87%, for the total of 20 programs that integrate the III QCA.

For structural fund, the FEDER stands out, which finances the construction of public infrastructures and equipments and supports the private investment, where the advancement of the regional program of the Azores is clearer, with a financial execution already superior to 96% (601,7 million euros already paid), while at national level the execution is of 86%.

The European Social Fund (FSE) registers the highest rate of execution with 97% of already done investment, in the value of 111,6 million euros, also superior to the national average (94%), whereas the funds for agriculture (FEOGA-O) and for fisheries (IFOP) reveal levels of expense paid equally very much above the verified one in the rest of the Country, 87% (79% at national level) in agriculture and 85% (77%) in fisheries.

In terms of great strategic sections of the PRODESA, for the realization of the objective “To guarantee the Improvement of the Regional Competitiveness”, 250 million euros (99% of the predicted investment) were already spend, being the investments in the road network, education, culture and civil protection already concluded, in the global value of 179 million euros, whereas in the port and airport infrastructures and equipments it is registered an execution superior to 97%.

For the “Modernization of the Traditional Productive Base” there were already supported investments in the amount of 145,4 million euros, which corresponds to 87% of the total of the program, being 120,1 million euros applied in the supported development of the rural zones and in the modernization and diversification of the agrarian-forest sector and 25,3 million euros in the support to the development of the fisheries.

The measures of support to the development of the employment and of the vocational training registered a financing of Community funds, already paid, of 111,6 million euros, which represents 97% of the value of the program.

The public support in the private investment, integrated in the objective “Giving dynamism and strengthening the Regional Business System”, reached, in the PRODESA, 172 million euros, which means that 94% of the resources were already made available.

The public supports to the business investments in the areas of energy (79, 1 million euros) and of the tourism (48,1 million euros) were already fully executed, whereas, from the Community funds available for the autarchies of the Azores, 171,1 million euros were already paid, which corresponds to 96% of the total.

Sérgio Ávila pointed out that these data demonstrate that “the Government of the Azores guaranteed that the levels of accomplishment of the projects inserted in the PRODESA always exceeded the limits and the objectives defined in contract, with the European Union”.

Due to the results presented “we can announce today that the Azores will be going to use in full the 860,3 million euros of funds made available as part of the PRODESA, securing a rate of execution of 100% in all the sections and structural funds”, he added.

This fact “confirms the good management for the Government of the operational programmes and demonstrates the technical quality of the presented documents, their accurate execution, the legitimacy of the assumed strategic options and their proper framing in the priorities and needs of development of our Region”, he still said.

Another vector pointed out by Sérgio Ávila concerns the “postponed payment of the responsibilities undertaken by the Government” supplying “an additional stimulus for the promoters and a guarantee of stability and safety in the financial planning and execution of the approved projects”.

In this framework, the vice president said, when finishing, that “all the financial and operational conditions are created to guarantee a supported increase of the public investment and of the support to the private investment, which it allows to reinforce the way of convergence with the levels of production, profit and well-being of the Country and of the European Union”.