JPP Secretary-General Élvio Sousa accused the PSD and CDS on 31st May 2026 of delaying a regular maritime ferry connection between Madeira and mainland Portugal. He said Madeirans are tired of years of promises, announcements and studies that have not led to any real decision on the issue. Sousa noted that the deadline for the economic and financial study on a regular passenger and cargo ferry service between the Autonomous Region of Madeira and the mainland expired in May. He also said the PSD and CDS publicly back the project but rejected a study proposed by the JPP to assess a second alternative ramp for ferry berthing. According to him, that refusal is hard to reconcile with the known operational limits of the only existing infrastructure in Funchal. Sousa further criticised the Portuguese Government for promising the steps needed to launch an international public tender under the State Budget, while instead choosing to commission another study. He concluded that the ferry service is a strategic need for mobility, lower transport costs, more competition, business support, tourism and territorial cohesion, and argued that delays and rejected infrastructure solutions are only prolonging a problem Madeira has faced for decades.
