Portuguese government approves subsidy of 100% for the recovery of houses up to €250,000

The government has defined support for the reconstruction of private homes in situations such as the rural fires of recent weeks, providing for “100% reimbursement up to the amount of €250,000”, the prime minister announced on Thursday. The remaining amount, said Luís Montenegro, will be subsidised at 85%.

According to the prime minister, who was speaking at a briefing after a cabinet meeting dedicated to the fires, held in Viseu, this is one of several measures included in a new “legislative instrument” approved today by the PSD/CDS-PP government and which will “act as a framework law” for similar emergencies.

No deadlines were given for the measures to come into force, or whether they will have retroactive effects.

The cabinet meeting took place hours after the Ministers for the Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, and for Agriculture and the Sea, José Manuel Fernandes, met in Sernancelhe (Viseu district) and Trancoso (Guarda district) with municipalities from the North and Centre regions hit by rural fires in recent weeks.

After the afternoon meeting in Trancoso, Castro Almeida announced that the government would immediately pay 50% of the cost of the work to rehabilitate the first homes affected by the fires, once the cost is determined.

“What we have planned for the first homes is as follows: the town hall will make an assessment together with a technician from the CCDR [Regional Coordination and Development Commission] of how much it will cost to repair the building and, once this has been established, we will immediately move forward with 50% of the value of the work and people can start rebuilding their homes immediately”, he assured.

At the briefing, the prime minister did not refer to the support announced by Castro Almeida.

The new legislative instrument approved today by the Council of Ministers will also allow, among other measures, support for companies and farmers, the provision of free medicines in the affected areas and the opening of a call for tenders to support local authorities in the rapid repair of public infrastructure and equipment.

The amounts to be granted in this last area will be defined in a “series of decisions” by the municipalities and the Regional Coordination and Development Commissions, by consensus, according to Luís Montenegro.

The prime minister also said he wanted to reach a consensus in parliament on a pact for forest management and land protection and acknowledged that “not everything went well” in the fight against the fires.

A simple cabinet resolution can activate the legislative instrument approved today. It will be limited in time and geography, according to a proposal by the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority and the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests.

Mainland Portugal has been affected by multiple large rural fires since July, especially in the north and centre.

The fires have caused three deaths, including a firefighter, and several injuries, some serious, and have totally or partially destroyed first and second homes, as well as agricultural and livestock holdings and forest areas.

The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) estimated that 274,000 hectares had already burned in Portugal by midday today.