Lisbon, Sept. 2, 2025 (Lusa) - On Wednesday, the government will begin receiving parties with parliamentary seats to discuss the State Budget for 2026, the conflict in the Middle East, the law on nationality and foreigners and the creation of new parishes.
The meetings will take place in parliament, starting with Chega at 09:00, followed by Livre at 10:30 and the Liberal Initiative at 12:00. The meetings will continue with the other parties on the following days.
On the government side, the meetings will be attended by the ministers of Finance, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, and Parliamentary affairs, Carlos Abreu Amorim.
At these meetings, according to an agenda note, the government will present its "main options" for the State Budget for 2026 to the three parties, as well as its position on the conflict in the Middle East. Additionally, it will discuss the law on foreigners and nationality.
"Various issues relating to the creation of new parishes" will also be assessed.
This will be the government's first round of meetings with the parliamentary parties on these four issues, with a meeting already scheduled for this Friday with the PS and another for the following Wednesday with the PCP. Meetings with the other parties will be scheduled "as soon as the agenda allows", said the government.
These meetings were announced last week by Portugal's minister of parliamentary affairs, who emphasised that they were not budget negotiations, but rather the start of a "tour with the parliamentary groups and single MPs on various issues".
On budgetary matters, the prime minister, Luís Montenegro, anticipated this weekend that the discussion on the next State Budget will be "relatively simple", while the leader of Chega, André Ventura, also considered that this year there are "more favourable conditions" for reaching consensus on this matter.
For his part, the PS's executive secretary, José Luís Carneiro, already expressed his willingness in May to support the State Budget presented by the government, but warned this weekend that if the document includes the changes to labour legislation that the government has advocated, his party will vote against it.
Concerning the recognition of the State of Palestine, Luís Montenegro announced on 31 July that the government would listen to the speaker of parliament and the parties with parliamentary representation with a view to "considering Palestinian recognition" at the United Nations General Assembly, between 23 and 29 September.
TA/ADB // ADB.
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