Territorial continuity? JPP and IL protest for non-compliance

“The complexity of the procedures and the multiplicity of documentary requirements that do not comply with an automatic and universal process are also an obstacle to access to this right, imposing an excessively lengthy and bureaucratic administrative path on citizens,” the JPP said.

The largest party of the Madeiran opposition, with 11 deputies in the regional parliament, considers that the dimension of the problem is still “strengthened by the treatment of legal persons, subject to increased documentary requirements and the subsequent presentation of documents and supporting evidence”, seeing that this process constitutes a “true blocking force for processing and obtaining refunds”.

The Joint People’s Party (JPP) thus expresses its protest at the delays in processing and payment of support, the difficulties in the functioning of the electronic platform and the excessive bureaucracy associated with access to the Territorial Continuity Mechanism.

IL’s protest vote also underlines that the new legal regime and model for reimbursement of the Territorial Continuity Mechanism, based on an electronic platform to simplify and expedite the processing of applications, “did not prove to be hassle-free”.

“ In March 2026, the Regional Government of Madeira had already identified more than two dozen problems in the operation of the new regime and platform, having submitted concrete proposals for its resolution to the Government of the Republic,” he said.

The only Member of the IL therefore considers that non-compliances, impediments and delays in the implementation of the Territorial Continuity Mechanism “limit the full exercise of the constitutional and legal rights of residents in the autonomous regions”.

The protest votes of the JPP and the IL were presented together today, at the first plenary session of the second legislative session of the 15th legislature, after the summer vacation, and will be voted at the plenary session on October 1.

In March 2025, the Government defined a new model for the allocation of the then social mobility allowance, creating an electronic platform for passengers from the Azores and Madeira to make the request for digital reimbursement of the tickets.

Established in 2015, the allocation of a refund is made to residents, similar residents and students from both autonomous regions. The amount reimbursed is the difference between the eligible cost of the ticket, paid in full by the passenger at the time of purchase, and the maximum rate borne by the resident, defined by ordinance.

In the Azores, the maximum fare borne by travel residents to and from the continent is 119 euros and that borne by students is 89 euros.

On the connections between Madeira and the mainland, the maximum rate for residents is €79 and for students of €59, and on the journeys between the two archipelagos, the maximum rate for residents is €79 and for students of €59.