José Luis Carneiro today called on Parliament to deepen the process of decentralisation of powers that will lead to the election of the Commissions of Coordination and Regional Development (CCDR).

The Deputy Secretary-General of the PS gave note that the government's final proposal will be known in March, in the case of "giving CCDR local-based democratic legitimacy" through the choice of "mayors of parish, assemblies and municipal councils", which "they will have the power to choose the new interpreters of regional power." The vice-president of the Socialist caucus took advantage of also to demand a sense of responsibility for the political forces that "permanently, they blame centralism for delays and roadblocks to the development", considering "the essential local and regional powers in the valuing people and their cultural, social, economic and environmental impacts" and "strategic importance for economic development to social development is made in the valorization of territories, with balance and with a fair allocation of resources."  For this reason, he added, "to defend the regions is also to defend the European project for peace, development and cohesion regional regions." José Luis Carneiro summarized the "commitment of the PS to the objective of regionalization", stressing that he knows "well the invaluable value of local democracy." In however, the deputy added, "we know that the safe path to be taken is, at this time, that of the consolidation of the ongoing decentralisation process and the strengthening of democratic legitimacy ccdr." Socialist Party number 2 considers that "the effort to decentralisation in the areas of education, health and culture underway throughout the the country illustrates the reformist impetus of the Government and is proof of the unequivocal will to put power at the service of people and their local institutions." The deputy also mentioned the need to match a large social majority that supports the majority in the Assembly of the Republic. "We must do everything to ensure good results in the ongoing decentralisation to meet the confidence of a large social majority that supports the political majority in this Parliament," he said.