Montemor-o-Velho commemorated Municipality Day with a solemn session that evoked the population's response to Storm Kristin and flooding, also marking the first intervention of the new mayor, José Veríssimo. The mayor highlighted the unity demonstrated by the community in difficult moments and announced over 18 million euros in ongoing investment in the municipality, covering areas such as health, education, mobility, economic development and associativism. José Veríssimo also advocated for more adequate funding for municipalities and structural investment in protecting the Mondego Valley.
The Secretary of State for Local Administration and Spatial Planning, Silvério Regalado, revealed that 373 applications to support mechanisms had been submitted, amounting to close to 16 million euros, of which approximately 12 million have already been approved. The government official referred to interventions by the Portuguese Environment Agency, the preparation of agricultural support and the revision of the Local Finance Law. The president of CIMRC, Helena Teodósio, valued the response to flooding and highlighted innovation, digital transformation and water management as central areas for strengthening territorial cohesion.
The ceremony included the awarding of municipal merit medals, with the Municipal Merit Medal being presented to António Correia Pardal Bispo. Votes of commendation to canoeist Fernando Pimenta and the Portuguese Canoeing Federation were also announced. The president of the Municipal Assembly, Fernando Ramos, opened the session by thanking former presidents present, and the president of the Polish municipality of Śmigiel, Małgorzata Adamczak, attended, expressing intention to deepen cooperation between the two territories.
The celebrations began with the raising of the National and Municipal flags at the Praça da República, accompanied by the municipality's philharmonic bands, and ended with performances by Diogo Pinto, Tiago Cordeiro and the Choir of the Poeta Afonso Duarte Association, from Ereira.
