This proposal, which establishes a financial allocation for the municipality of around 1.6 million Euros, was discussed at the public meeting of the executive that took place this morning by videoconference.

In the session, PCP councilor Ana Jara noted that this year's programme “will be quite relevant and important”, taking into account the pandemic context, and called for BIP / ZIP to be able to “finally” have larger allocations and projects with “greater durability”.

For her part, Councillor for Housing and Local Development, Paula Marques, said that the municipality is waiting for the possibility of applying for the programme for European funding, in order to support more projects.

Speaking to the agency Lusa, on Wednesday, 27 May, Paula Marques explained that in this edition it was decided to “keep the same lines of candidacy” as in previous years.

However, "all applications must have actions developed" in areas of support for study, employment or strengthening local responses to combat isolation, with a focus on mental health, racism and xenophobia, she said.

“We had a very big discussion between us, between the partners, and it is clear that all areas that were already identified in the BIP / ZIP programme are important areas, because they are areas for the development of territories. Culture is no less important or environment is less important or emergency leisure is less important (…). Now the question is that we have another reality that will accompany us and that other reality has areas of greater impact”, justified the mayor (Cidadãos Por Lisboa, elected on the PS list).

Therefore, the proposals, regardless of the thematic area chosen, must take into account “the issue of employment and the local economic fabric, the question of support for study, the strengthening of local networks to combat the isolation of vulnerable people”, reinforced Paula Marques.

The axis that had to do with the public space, for example, “until now it was a very physical intervention thing”, which will have to respond, at least, to one of these main difficulties felt in the territories due to the pandemic, she said.

Paula Marques also underlined that, in recent months, due to the covid-19 pandemic, several projects have adapted or transformed to provide “emergency responses” in combating isolation, in the supply of food, as well as in the transmission of information.

Once the proposal is approved, the training of the various entities and organisations will now be carried out and, in June, the application period opens.

According to the municipality, the 2019 edition of the BIP / ZIP program received 92 applications from 242 promoters and partners, covering 67 programme territories.

Of these, 44 projects were selected by the jury of the competition, covering 53 BIP / ZIP territories.

The programme's nine editions total an investment of 14.1 million Euros, 354 projects were carried out and 143 thousand inhabitants were involved, according to information released by the municipality last year.