João Cunha e Silva, president of the Mission Structure for the 50th Anniversary of Madeira's Autonomy, argued that regional autonomy is built through negotiation and the capacity to implement powers on the ground, beyond public claims.
During the presentation of the book ‘50 Years of Autonomy – Testimonies and Numbers’, Cunha e Silva highlighted that while public discourse and demonstrations have symbolic value, the evolution of autonomy requires a strategy of permanent negotiation with the central government and institutional work.
He also stressed that the deepening of the autonomous regime depends on dialogue between the Region and the Republic, the fulfillment of constitutional obligations by the State, such as the effective transfer of powers, and the operationalization by regional governments with appropriate financial compensation.
