Businesspeople from Santarém, Leiria and Coimbra ask for non-refundable support after depression Kristin

Officials from AIP – Portuguese Industrial Association, NERLEI – Business Association of the Leiria Region, NERSANT – Business Association of the Santarém Region and NERC – Business Association of the Coimbra Region met this morning, to take stock of the impacts that the Kristin depression had on companies in these territories and evaluate the measures put forward by the Government.

At the end of the meeting, Rui Serrano highlighted that they will suggest some measures implemented at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic and the fires, which “are already tested in terms of support mechanisms”.

In addition to tax relief, businesspeople want “loss funds in some way” assignments.

“This is to encourage people, companies that can use their solutions, not just the moratorium issues, not just the issue of loans, but there is also this component here that we think is important”, he maintained.

The executive director of NERLEI, Henrique Carvalho, also considered the measures presented by the Government positive, but said he was concerned about their operationalization and the fact that they were insufficient to face “the great losses and calamity” that companies face.

“There will certainly be a lack of support that has more of a lost-fund logic, because the strongest measures for companies, the two main lines are financing, and financing is more debt. Companies that are in the phase of operational shutdown, because they are unable to operate, only having more debt, is important for very immediate short-term solutions, but they are difficult to resolve in a more medium-term logic”, he warned.

The president of NERC, Horácio Pina Prata, noted that although the measures are positive, it is important to also look at the economic sectors associated with production cycles and product flows, which “have an extremely complicated impact on future lost profits”.

“When production falls this year, it has devastating effects and, for the agricultural sector, it cannot be just 10 thousand euros of support: there must be other specific support. On the other hand, companies that could lose supplies as a result, could find themselves in complicated situations, therefore, it is necessary to take precautions not only on measures that are positive, but it is important to have other measures that protect future situations”, he highlighted.