The activíties of the Natíonal Assocíatíon of Portuguese Munícipaíitíes

The National Association of the Portuguese Municipalities (ANMP) is the representative structure of the Portuguese municipalities (municípios) and sections of municipalities (freguesias). lt was set up on the 20 May 1984 during its first congress at Figueira da Foz. lt has the legal status of a 'collective body of private law', by the strict wish of its respectives delegates.

All the political parties and all the Regions of Portugal (308 municipalities and 4,241 sections of municipalities of Continental Portugal and the autonomous regions of the Açores and Madeira) are represented in a spirit of brotherhood that expresses the political maturity of its representatives. lt is based on dialogue and search for a consensus essencial to obtaining the best solutions for the problems of the local population. 

The structure of local authorities in Portugal

The law of local finances

It is the main source and the privileged instrument of budgetary grants for the municipalities. It has been successively diverted in its principles from the elementary rufes of legality that make it a constant bone of contention with the central power. The iniquity and the constancy of governmental unilateral decisions which do not pass on what the law determines to the local authorities, through contrivance and para-legal subterfuge, each year create a loss of millions of ECU’s (304,597,701 ECU in 1992) for Portuguese municipalities. This money is essential for a sustained and progressive growth, and this sum is robbing the very populations that elected us. Yet, on the other hand, we see our competencies and responsibilities increased progressively in fields as diverse as infrastructure and the question of educational facilities, environmental protection, modernisation of the fabric of production, urban transport and even the elimination of areas of poverty.

The Portuguese municipalities have, indeed, increased expectations and responsibilities, but without any increase in the means to realise them.

And, if it is indisputable that the local Portuguese authority has often proved its initiative in obtaining some resources, it has done so by uniting the powers spread out through the central power's agencies which are divided into sectors. The originality of what can be called the 'Portuguese case' is founded on the indisputable fact that public financing of local Portuguese authorities is of the lowest rank the Community; especially considering the rapid rate of urban development and even some still latent deficiencies in the field of infrastructure and in fulfilling basic necessities, where the aforementioned 'discrepancy' can still be felt. Besides, there is no lack of demonstrations - firstly by the spokesmen of the central power - of the obvious fact that investment of local authorities is more socially and economically productive than central administration investment, and for this reason an identical amount of public spending has less effect in terms of inflation on the public debt.

Furthermore, the Portuguese Government, with respect, has subscribed to the European Charter of Local self-government, ratified unanimously by the National Parliament, but it still has not implemented its fundamental principles.

We are therefore facing a 'Gordian knot' in our work as local authorities; a knot that conditions the exercise of local power in Portugal of all the agents of society, and here we include ourselves, which we must fight relentlessly to gain regional reform and state decentralisation because we are attached to and disposed to asserting the principle of subsidiarity contained in the Treaty of European Union, in view of the important task that is incumbent on us and that has been highlighted publicly.

Our contribution to a European structure based on the criteria and principles of national cohesion will oblige us to assume commitments we cannot postpone between National States, communities, regions and municipalities.

It is a fact that municipalities benefit from privileged terms - even if they are judge and party - in their relationship with citizens and in daily life. These terms are intrinsically different from other levels of political power - which implies that local authority power should not do without the reduced instrumentalisation of national policies before becoming a protagonist with rights within the European construction.

This participation, for fear of disrepute, does not end with the volume of Structural Funds, because, above all, it is our role to plan the conception and execution of development projects financed by the European Community, by the most backward regions or those being reconstructed and by local authorities themselves.

To conclude, I must draw attention to the vital and pioneering role of the local authorities in the near future of European territory development. It will be economical and social, balanced and sustained, and responding to the logic of decentralisation of public intervention observed lately through a phase of economic and social change and the world-wide application of exchange rates. We are convinced that the realisation of the Single Market will be a landmark and a decisive stage in the making of a European Union and in the long term this will allow the standard of living to increase by reducing regional inequality. But in the same way the possible side-effects of excessive competition between local authorities should not be underestimated. We have to plan an increase in structured and strong community action, especially in the fields of peripheral and border zones, and a co-ordinated policy on European town and country planning which will bring a new dynamism to the potential and resources with mutual and complementary advantages.

It is a fact that in the inter-communal and inter-regional co-operation, it is on a local, community and largely participatory basis that local Portuguese councillors will commit themselves to achieving a European Political Union. This will happen through a close communion of efforts, initiatives and actions with their European counterparts of different territorial divisions (i.e., regions, provinces, counties, departments, Landers or other entities of diverse origins) by contributing, in their own way, to the local power to continue to be the best school for democracy.

The activities of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities

Artur José Pontevianne Homen da Trindade

Secretary General of the ANMP

The National Association of the Portuguese Municipalities (ANMP) is the representative structure of the Portuguese Municipalities (municípios) and section of municipalities (freguesias). It was set up on the 20 May 1984 during its first congress at Figueira da Foz. It has the legal status of a 'collective body of private law', by the strict wish of its respective delegates.

All the political parties and all the regions of Portugal (308 municipalities and 4,241 sections of municipalities of Continental Portugal and the autonomous regions of the Açores and Madeira) are represented in a spirit of brotherhood that expresses the political maturity of its representatives.

It is based on dialogue and the search for a consensus essential to obtaining the best solutions for the problems of the local population.

The Association has to be consulted on all government legislative initiatives concerning local authorities (orders in council No 419/424, 29th March). It was declared a 'Collective Body of Public Utility' by the Prime Minister on 30 November 1985.

Its head office is in Coimbra, (known as Lusa Atenas, one of the oldest universities in Europe, 200 kilometres from Lisbon and 120 from Porto). It was inaugurated on the 2 October 1987 by the President of the Republic,

Since its creation in 1984, the Association has had two presidents: until 1989 Dr Artur Torres Pereira, President of the Municipal Council of Sousel; and since then the President has been the engineer Mario de Almeida, President of the Municipal Council of Vila do Conde. The successor is designated by a great procedure directly linked to the vote of the people and ratified by the pluralism, civic sense and the high politics of all the parties in the ANMP that have parliamentary representation.

Objectives

The statutes of the ANMP were revised and updated during the seventh National Congress, in May 1992, at Funchal (autonomous region of Madeira). In agreement with these statutes the Association has as a general objective to ensure the promotion, defence, reputation and representation of local authorities, in particular:

• representation and defence of the municipalities and sections of municipalities before the organs of sovereignty;
• carrying out of studies and projects on questions that are within the competence of local authorities;
• creation and organisation of consultative services and technical-legal assistance for its members;
• development of informative action for local councillors and the training of the local administrative personnel;
• exchange of experiences and information of a technical-administrative nature between its members;
• representation of its members in national and international organisations.