“Alqueva has been the subject of technical work to monitor and account for payment amounts and details, and respective conclusion of a payment agreement that is due”, said Maria da Graça Carvalho in a meeting with her Spanish counterpart Teresa Ribera.
The Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, guaranteed this Wednesday that Portugal will be financially compensated by Spain for water illegally captured in recent decades in the Alqueva basin, as has been demanded by the Alqueva Development and Infrastructure Company. According to EDIA's accounts, the amount that Madrid owes to the Portuguese for the water collected already amounts to 40 million.
“Alqueva has been the target of technical work between the Portuguese Environment Agency, EDIA and its Spanish counterparts for monitoring and accounting for amounts and payment details, and respective conclusion of a payment agreement that is due”, said the minister on the sidelines of a meeting with her Spanish counterpart, Teresa Ribera, in Lisbon. Maria da Graça Carvalho confirmed that this work is going well and, that is why, was not even on the table at the bilateral meeting.
“What is on the table is to reach an agreement regarding what happened and what is happening at EDIA. Account, monitor, this is what is happening”, guaranteed the minister, without providing further details about when the amount should be calculated and when the refund can be made.
Still about Alqueva, the two ministers guaranteed that transfers between Alqueva and cross-border regions, as the Spanish mayors ask, are not on the table. “We are not apologists for large transfers within the same river basin. Everything can be solved with water saving and water efficiency measures, use of rivers and small transfers. Large transfers have major environmental and financial impacts and are not on the table”, said Maria da Graça Carvalho.
