Lisbon, Aug. 24, 2025 (Lusa) - The president of Portugal has promulgated the government decree that establishes a series of measures to support and mitigate the impact of rural fires.
In a statement published on the Presidency of the Republic's website, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that he had "promulgated the government's decree establishing measures to support and mitigate the impact of rural fires".
On Thursday, at an extraordinary cabinet meeting in Viseu, the government approved a framework with 45 measures "to be adopted in the event of major fires, with consequences for the property and economy of families and companies", which is intended to allow "quick and agile measures to be put in place to support the regions and people affected".
Among the measures is financial support for the “profitability of agricultural production potential and exceptional support for farmers to compensate for losses, even through undocumented expenses”, up to a maximum of €10,000 and cash support for companies directly affected by the fires and exemption from Social Security contributions, as well as support for those that keep their jobs.
Support was also approved for the reconstruction of owner-occupied housing in situations such as the rural fires of the last few weeks, providing for a “100% contribution up to the amount of €250,000”.
The government also announced a new "legislative instrument" to "act as a framework law" in situations such as major rural fires, allowing for a call for tenders to support local authorities in the rapid repair of infrastructure.
Mainland Portugal has been affected by multiple large rural fires since July, especially in the North and Centre.
The fires have already killed four people, including a firefighter, and injured several, some seriously, and have totally or partially destroyed first and second homes, as well as agricultural and livestock holdings and forest areas.
According to provisional official figures, by 23 August around 248,000 hectares had burned in the country.
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