Floods in Portugal: a recurring and destructive natural hazard
Historical responses: reactive, fragmented and with weak prevention
Regulatory evolution: slow and triggered by critical events (1967, 1981, 1997 and 2000/2001)
Structural vectors: political transition (dictatorship to democracy) and European integration (European Economic Community (EEC), now the European Union (EU))
Central Question
How has flood risk regulation evolved in Portugal (1967-2002) and what institutional and political factors explain this change?
Objectives
1. Analyse regulatory developments and identify regulatory regimes
2. Characterise phases and milestones in risk regulation
3. Assess the role of the political transition to democracy and European integration in consolidating a preventive approach
• Gradual transition: from geometric control to basin planning and integrated prevention
• Technical and institutional consolidation: Adjacent zones, flood-threatened zones, National Ecological Reserve, Water Resource Plans and National Water Plan form a robust regulatory framework
• Risk governance: remains predominantly technocratic and administrative
• Integration with civil protection and climate agenda: partial and delayed
• Regulatory consistency and implementation: high degree of regulatory formalisation, but preventive implementation remains partial
Future agenda: analyse the post-2002 period, including the Floods Directive and climate adaptation, assessing the practical effectiveness of the rules.