Prime Minister Luís Montenegro calls for coordination, efficiency and stronger regional execution in Portugal
Ricardo Pinheiro officially took office on Friday, 27 February, as President of the Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Alentejo (CCDR Alentejo), the regional authority responsible for coordinating public policy and managing development strategies in Portugal’s Alentejo region.
The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, several members of the Portuguese Government and the five newly elected presidents of Portugal’s Regional Coordination and Development Commissions (CCDRs), marking the beginning of a new institutional cycle under the current executive model.
During his address, the Prime Minister set a clear tone for the mandate ahead, stressing the importance of implementation and tangible results.
“Our watchword is to act. To act. To deliver.”, Luís Montenegro stated, underlining that the focus must now be on executing policies rather than debating institutional models. “We will fully test the potential of this model. There will be time for evaluation, but now is the time to implement.”
A bridge between central government and local territories
The Prime Minister described the CCDRs as a key instrument for ensuring proximity between central government and regional territories.
“The Regional Coordination and Development Commissions are an expression of the Government’s closeness to the territory,” he said, emphasizing their role in aligning central administration with municipalities, intermunicipal communities and local stakeholders.
Montenegro highlighted the need for stronger coordination across policy areas such as health, education, culture, agriculture, environment and spatial planning. According to the Prime Minister, regional governance must provide integrated and faster responses to citizens and businesses.
“The commissions must bring different entities to the same table to produce a single, coherent response,” he added, warning against fragmented and slow decision-making processes that create uncertainty.
Regional development as a national priority
In his speech, Luís Montenegro reinforced the idea that regional development is essential to national progress, noting that challenges differ from region to region.
“The challenges of Alentejo are not exactly the same as those of other regions,” he said, advocating for policies tailored to regional specificities while maintaining a shared national development strategy.
He also stressed the importance of responsible management of European Union funds, arguing that every euro must be treated with the same accountability as national budget resources.
“Every cent coming from Europe has the same value as a euro from the national budget,” the Prime Minister affirmed.
With Ricardo Pinheiro now at the helm of CCDR Alentejo, the Government has signalled a renewed emphasis on coordination, execution and regional proximity, positioning the commission as a strategic driver of development in southern Portugal.
