The Coimbra Municipal Assembly unanimously approved a deliberation requesting the elevation of the settlement of Eiras to the category of town, in a process that will now proceed to the Assembly of the Republic. The proposal was presented by the president of the Union of Parishes of Eiras and São Paulo de Frades, Luís Correia, and received the favorable vote of all political groups present at the session.
The request is based on the historical recognition of Eiras, which was a municipal seat until 1836, having its own administrative structures such as a town hall, ordinary judge, councilors, solicitor, registry office and jail. The settlement also had a charter dating back to the reign of King John I, associated with tax collection, in addition to health and education services. The Division of Support to Parishes of the Coimbra City Council concluded that the legal requirements for the historical recognition of Eiras as a town are met, under Law No. 24/2024.
The Union of Parishes of Eiras and São Paulo de Frades had 17,574 inhabitants in the 2021 Census, with Eiras being the seat and main population center with more than 12 thousand inhabitants. The territory also concentrates business and commercial areas, school and health facilities, as well as associations and cultural structures.
Luís Correia emphasized that they are not inventing a town, but rather recognizing a history and correcting a historical omission that has lasted almost two centuries. After the deliberation of the Municipal Assembly, the process should proceed to the Assembly of the Republic, where it will have to take the form of a bill.
