Calamity is the slogan. And what about emigrant homes? "They should have insurance."

The Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, did not acknowledge the "usefulness" of declaring a state of emergency at this time and said that no mayor had explained to him why they wanted it in place. Regarding the measures, Castro Almeida spoke about the deadlines for requesting support and, regarding emigrants and the homes they "left behind," acknowledged that they are "left out" and that insurance should be available in these cases.

"Whether or not to declare a state of emergency is a false question. What's happening in the country is a disaster, that's for sure. However, declaring a state of emergency has legal consequences," he began by considering, in an interview with SIC Notícias, when asked about the 'resistance' to doing so, even in the face of requests from some mayors.

"I haven't heard anyone who says 'it's necessary to declare a state of emergency' explain why. What is the goal to achieve? I don't know. No one has explained it yet," the minister continued, pointing out that even the mayors who ask for it don't explain.

"I've spoken with dozens of mayors. Some mayors ask for it, and others don't. To everyone I asked, 'why, for what, what result do you want to achieve?', no one explained to me why they wanted a state of emergency," he said, arguing that none of the consequences of the state of emergency provided for in the law "will solve the problems we have."

Castro Almeida also explained that in recent weeks there have been no problems entering private land, for example, which would be one of the "easy" options if the state of emergency were to come into effect. Rejecting the need for this measure, the minister reiterated: "The necessary measures are different. It's a false issue. It's a slogan that was launched."

"If you explain to me why, what problem it solves, the government is completely open to taking all the measures to solve the problems. Perhaps some mayors might think: 'The situation is a state of emergency. If we legally declare a state of emergency, something good will happen.' But the good things that will happen are those that result from the decree-law we approved yesterday - and which goes much further in supporting people than the state of emergency. Here, I don't see any use for it. If they show us that it is useful, we will go for it. Without any taboos," he assured.

The "before ten days" support (and the dates)

The minister was also questioned about the measures announced Thursday, which have a time limit. Regarding this limitation, Castro Almeida stated that the window for the support to take effect was July 26th. "That's when this outbreak of fires began, this situation almost out of control [...], the normal resources of Civil Protection are no longer sufficient to help people. This is the logic. Not every fire justifies state intervention; the justification for compensation," he said, noting that this special support applies when the scale of the fires is so great that it falls "beyond the normal resources that the State provides within the scope of Civil Protection."

The minister also noted that these benefits can be requested until "the end of the year or a little longer," from the moment the decree-law is published. "I believe it will happen next week ; if the President of the Republic is as expeditious as he usually is in these circumstances, the decree can be published and come into effect at the beginning of next week, and people can immediately begin applying for the benefits. What I can guarantee is that the benefits will begin to reach people within ten days," he stated.

It should be noted that this Friday, the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, spoke about the measures announced yesterday by the Executive and, regarding the framework law, reinforced: "I am waiting for it to arrive in Belém, it will go directly to the President."

Head of State Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa indicated he had warned about August 15th, when the fight against the flames could worsen due to the convergence of three fires. The President declined to comment on the government's announcement, which has been criticized, but made a clear statement: "A last-minute decision often comes too late."

Ana Teresa Banha | 6:09 PM - 8/22/2025

And the emigrants' houses?

The minister was also questioned about another measure, namely support for the reconstruction of privately owned homes. When asked whether emigrants' homes are excluded, Castro Almeida began by emphasizing that "the proposed scheme, which is very generous, is for permanent residences. People need a place to sleep, they need a roof over their heads. We're not providing support to people to restore their economic situation; we're providing them with living conditions."

"The expected situation is for people to have a place to sleep. 'Is my wealth diminishing? I should have insurance for that.' It's not about restoring people's wealth, it's about having a place to sleep. And the factories are for people to have a place to work: that's the logic. The pine trees also burned, and we're not going to pay for pine or eucalyptus trees. And there's a decrease in wealth. We're creating living conditions for people," he continued.

When asked if he thought it was fair if these homes, where emigrants often return, weren't covered, the minister explained: "The incentive is that they should take out home insurance. If we go along with that, we're discouraging insurance. If you own your own home and haven't taken out insurance, are we going to 'punish' you because there's no insurance? It's not a problem to punish, but you need a home to live in. We're going to help you rebuild your home, because you need a place to sleep. Have your assets been diminished? That's your problem; you should have insurance for that purpose."

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