Competences (legislative and non-legislative), legal bases and policy areas where the regional parliament is active  

Legislative: The Legislative Assembly has competence to legislate in numerous areas, including inter alia:

• Political and administrative organisation of the region;
• Power to levy tax and adapt the tax system;
• Economic autonomy;
• Agricultural policy;
• Fisheries, sea and marine resources;
• Trade, industry and energy;
• Tourism;
• Infrastructure, transport and communication;
• The environment and regional planning;
• Solidarity and social security;
• Health;
• Family and migration;
• Labour and professional training;
• Education and youth;
• Culture and the media;
• Research and technological innovation;
• Sport;
• Public safety and civil protection.

Non-legislative: The Legislative Assembly has the power inter alia to:

• Invest the Regional Government and approve its respective programme;
• Approve the economic and social development plan;
• Authorise the Regional Government to issue loans and other credit operations other than floating debt, establishing the respective general conditions;
• Establish the maximum limit of guarantees the Regional Government may concede each year;
• Vote repeal motions to the regional government programme;
• Vote motions of confidence and censure against the Regional Government;
• Participate in the definition of the positions of the Portuguese state, within the area of European integration, in matters within its political and legislative remit;
• Participate in the establishment of bonds of cooperation with foreign regional bodies.

List of committees/sub-committees or working groups in the regional parliament
There are five permanent committees within the Legislative Assembly, namely:

• Committee Parliamentary Affairs, the Environment and Labour;;
• Committee for General Politics;
• Permanent Committee;
• Committee for Social Affairs;
• Committee for Economics.

For further information, see here (PT).

Committees in charge of scrutinising subsidiarity   
There is no committee specifically in charge of scrutinising subsidiarity.

Staff in charge of subsidiarity scrutiny  
There is no staff specifically in charge of scrutinising subsidiarity. Yet, a working group will be set up in the Azores Legislative Assembly, made up of an official from the field of European studies and international policy and a legal expert, who will work on the issue of subsidiarity.

Subsidiarity check  
Nature (selective/systematic): N/A.
Procedure: Although no subsidiarity checks have been carried out so far, the following procedure is foreseen when the interests of the Portuguese autonomous regions are affected by European draft legislation:

1. The National Parliament has to send the legislation to the regional parliaments;
2. The National Parliament's Committee on European Affairs (CAE) can hold public hearings with the Azores and Madeira Legislative Assemblies, depending on the subject in question;
3. The deadline for issuing regional opinions is six weeks;
4. Despite the lack of any specific mechanism for coordinating the regional parliaments' work, once their opinions have been received, they must be analysed by the CAE rapporteur, along with the report from the relevant committee. A single opinion is thus drawn up, taking into consideration both documents, which are to be annexed to the CAE's final opinion;
5. Where the views of the National Parliament and the regional parliaments differ, the differences must be mentioned in the final position, which will be that of the National Parliament;
6. Where the regional parliaments take part in a monitoring procedure, the CAE informs them of its final opinion.
In addition, it should be mentioned that a working group will be set up in the Azores Legislative Assembly, made up of an official from the field of European studies and international policy and a legal expert, who will work on the issue of subsidiarity. The importance of subsidiarity monitoring will also be promoted to the parliamentary committees.
Cooperation/coordination at the regional level  
There is no cooperation at the regional level.
Cooperation/coordination at the central level 
See the description of the procedure for the subsidiarity check. In addition, an official from the National Parliament represents the Azores Legislative Assembly in the Subsidiarity Expert Group. It should also be mentioned that, each year, the National Parliament organizes a meeting between the CAE, Members of the European Parliament, the National Parliament and the Azores Legislative Assembly in order to discuss the EU's legislative schedule for the year.

Cooperation/coordination at the cross-regional level 
There is no cooperation at the cross-regional level.

Cooperation/coordination at the EU level  
The issue of subsidiarity monitoring has been addressed and examined in standing committee meetings and plenary sessions of the Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies (CALRE), to which the Azores Legislative Assembly participates.