Municipal leaders in Madeira have called for greater clarity and predictability in accessing European funding. Élia Ascensão, Jorge Carvalho, and Olavo Câmara highlighted a lack of scale, technical resources, and foresight as significant obstacles.
During a debate in Santa Cruz, the mayors emphasized that knowing the available funding in advance, whether annually or per term, is crucial for municipalities to set priorities and effectively prepare applications. Small-scale municipalities, in particular, face challenges due to limited scale and technical capacity.
The officials agreed on the need for clear rules and mechanisms that enable local authorities to increase their scale and technical capabilities to better utilize European funds, ensuring these supports truly benefit citizens' daily lives.
