Arcos de Valdevez, Portugal, Sept. 30, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese prime minister on Wednesday declined to say whether or not new measures are planned to tackle the cost of living, stressing that the Government «has a strategy» and that it is necessary to avoid imbalances in the budget in order to «plan for the future».
«We are making a great effort in Portugal to help families and businesses cope with rising costs [for fuel and food]. At the same time, we must plan for the future so as not to throw the public finances out of balance; otherwise, this will cause difficulties tomorrow, as has happened in the past,» said Luís Montenegro.
The minister emphasised that it is necessary to «take care of today and tomorrow», making choices that the Government considers to be «the best way to deal with the cost of living today and prepare for future developments».
On Tuesday, the prime minister did not rule out the possibility that further support might be needed, but reiterated that the Government does not want to «burden everyone in the future».
Montenegro said that it is thanks to the Government's efforts that the Portuguese people now have «a discount of around €0.25» per litre of diesel and petrol, as well as additional support for agriculture, fisheries, transport, social institutions, the fire service and taxis.
This is also why «the Solidarity [cooking] Gas Cylinder scheme» was introduced, which offers greater support than the previous scheme, he noted.
«We have a range of support measures for businesses that are most exposed to energy costs in their production costs. We are doing all this whilst cutting taxes and increasing pensions,» he emphasised.
The aim is to enable «people to have the freedom to choose their spending and to be able to cope with the effects of rising prices for essential goods, such as fuel or food».
The Government also aims to «plan for the future», which means not running a budget deficit, because a budget deficit today «means a bill tomorrow».
«I had the opportunity to tell the country: these are our choices; we believe they are the best way to tackle the cost of living today and also to prepare for the future. We believe they are the best way,» he emphasised.
Montenegro also stressed that the Government has «a strategy for housing unlike any we have ever seen before».
«In government, too, we have to make choices. And we have chosen to build homes. To have the money to build homes, there cannot be money for other things. Just as in families, we have to manage our resources; we do not have unlimited resources,» he said in his speech before handing over the keys to homes to 32 families.
According to the prime minister, the Government is making «the largest ever investment in housing in Portugal», having «planned and committed over €10 billion» to the programme.
At the same time, he said, the Government is lowering taxes on housing and construction, in line with the New Legal Framework for Urbanisation and Building, which comes into force on Thursday.
In addition, it has created «targeted support tailored to individuals and their local and family circumstances», as well as for young people and those starting out in life.
«This day allows us to send a message of confidence and hope to the Portuguese people – to those facing the greatest financial difficulties, who need more substantial help, and to the middle class. We have a comprehensive strategy. People are anxious and concerned about rising fuel prices. Even so, Portugal is today providing support for everyone, amounting to €0.25 per litre of fuel,» he explained.
«This is a major effort, which must be carefully calibrated so that we do not have to provide three, four or five times what we have already provided, as has happened before in the history of our democracy,» he warned.
According to Montenegro, the country will reach the end of the year «with a package of mitigation policies worth €2.3 billion» and with «economic growth of over 2%».
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