The president of the Union of Parishes of Évora, the social democrat Francisco Brito, was elected this Sunday president of the National Association of Parishes (Anafre), during a Congress that ends this Sunday in Portimão, Faro.
Francisco Brito headed a single list presented for suffrage to the Board of Directors, which resulted from an agreement between PSD, PS and PCP, which was approved by 788 votes (89.1%) and obtained 96 blank votes.
There were 977 registered voters, with 884 (91%) votes validated, with 93 voters (9%) abstaining.
The single list for the Congressional Board obtained 803 votes in favor (90.8%) and the Fiscal Council 798 (90.3%).
For the next term, Anafre approved by majority (with eight abstentions) the document “General Lines of Action 2026/2030” which involves reviewing the local finance law (LFL) as an “absolute priority” to ensure the progressive increase in the participation of these local authorities in State taxes, from 2.5% to 5% in five years.
The parishes intend to have “effective and progressive” access to community funds, particularly within the scope of PT2030 and future financial frameworks, ensuring the launch of the financing notice during 2026, with implementation starting in 2027”.
According to the document, councils must have “equal opportunities in accessing credit, similar to what happens with municipalities”, whilst “respecting the size and financial capacity of the parishes”, with the guarantee that “the use of credit is intended exclusively for local public investment”.
The parishes also intend, in the next term, to be exempt from paying VAT on activities “exercised within the scope of the authority’s power”, the application of the reduced VAT rate (6%) on the acquisition of vehicles and goods essential to their activity, and the creation of specific programs that mitigate the tax impact on their respective budgets.
Anafre defended the dignification of local elected officials, through the urgent review of the Local Elected Statute, highlighting that no parish mayor should be penalized in their professional life for exercising public functions.
He also demanded updated remuneration and recognition of these functions for the purposes of social protection and contributory career.
Among the total of 17 approved proposals, the parishes also intend to complete the process of resource transfer records, guaranteeing the periodic evaluation of decentralized competences and a “reinforcement of technical and financial resources” whenever necessary, with the objective of “stabilizing the decentralization regime between municipalities and parishes”.
The reorganization of the territory is another critical point: the association intends to complete the processes of creating or replacing parishes, ensuring adequate resources for the new administrative units and respecting the wishes of the populations.
As for the services provided, these local authorities want to reinforce the role of parishes in providing public services through Citizen Spaces, with more financial and technical support and the expansion of available services, to make these structures profitable, and they also intend to receive 50% of the revenue generated by services provided in these citizen support spaces, when the value is currently 10%.
Similar to what happens with municipalities, parishes intend to have the right of preference in the acquisition of public or private properties, intended for the installation of services, social, cultural, administrative equipment or public housing use, and that a National Support Program for Parish Headquarters be created, for the construction, requalification and modernization of these facilities.
Over the next four years, Anafre will also defend the creation of a Program for the Integration of Precarious Workers in the parishes, to be coordinated with the State Budget, to ensure job stability and “strengthen the response capacity of local services”.
Around 1,300 delegates were registered at the 20th Anafre Congress, which ends today in Portimão, with the motto “+Freguesias – Act e Pensar Portugal”, although a few dozen were not present due to work in their respective territories, ravaged by the “Kristin” depression.
Leave a Reply