Lisbon, Nov. 27, 2025 (Lusa) - Parliament approved 163 amendments to the 2026 Budget, 122 of which were proposed by the opposition, with the PS leading the way and highlighting toll exemptions and tuition fee freezes, while those with the greatest budgetary impact were left out.
Among the main proposals for amendments to the State Budget for 2026 (OE2026) validated during these four days of voting on the details are exemptions from some tolls, the freezing of tuition fees in higher education, increases in the supplement for former combatants, patrol supplements for the GNR and PSP police forces, and a reduction in VAT on the sale of works of art.
The parties supporting the government were the ones that achieved the most victories, after 41 proposals from the PSD and CDS-PP were approved, in many cases to correct lapses in the original document. At the same time, the opposition managed to validate 122 initiatives in the specialised phase.
The PS was the opposition party with the most proposals approved, 31 in total, followed by the PCP, with 22 measures validated, Chega with 20 and the PAN with 19.
Livre managed to approve 17 initiatives, the BE eight, the Liberal Initiative three and the JPP, in its debut in the budget process, approved two, albeit only partially.
The government has not yet assumed the budgetary impact of the approved proposals. However, accounts from the PS parliamentary group to which Lusa had access allow us to assess the cost of some of the more emblematic initiatives.
The socialist bench estimates that toll exemptions will have an impact of around €35 million, of which €15 million relates to the A6 and A2, €10 million to the A41 CREP and A8/A19, and €10 million to the A15 tolls in Aveiro.
The PS parliamentary group also projects an impact of €15.5 million for the update of the supplement and special pension supplement for former combatants in 2026 and €7.5 million for the update of the PSP and GNR patrol supplement in 2026.
Here are some of the main measures approved:
+++ PSD/CDS-PP +++
The parties supporting the government presented few proposals for amendments, almost all of which were approved, such as the initiative for the government to move forward with procedures to award new public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the National Health Service (SNS), as well as the reduction of VAT on the sale of game meat from 23% to 6%.
On the other hand, there was a proposal that they were unable to approve to index tuition fee increases to inflation. In contrast, the opposition gave the green light to a PS proposal to freeze this amount.
+++ Chega +++
Two dozen proposals from Chega were approved, namely the reinforcement of funds for the Constitutional Court by €1.6 million, requested by the institution at a parliamentary hearing, as well as a review of the rules for issuing residence certificates for foreign citizens, limiting the number of certificates per household.
Also noteworthy are initiatives to reduce VAT on art transactions from 23% to 6%, identical to a PS proposal, as well as the creation of a mental health cheque when the SNS is unable to meet the maximum response times in psychiatry or psychology.
+++ PS +++
The PS achieved 31 victories in this marathon of votes, notably the exemption from tolls on the entire A25 on the Costa da Prata and Beiras Litoral e Alta, and on two sections of the A6 and A2 in Alentejo, as well as the end of toll payments for heavy vehicles on the Porto Regional Ring Road (A41) and part of the A19 and A8 in the Leiria region.
The PSD and CDS-PP voted down the proposals after the government warned of the cost of these measures. The Technical Budget Support Unit estimates that approval of exemptions on the A6 and A2 will result in a loss of €17.9 million in 2026 if the change begins only in April, or €23.8 million if it begins in January.
The PS also saw a proposal approved to keep tuition fees frozen for the 2026/2027 academic year at €697, following a change of vote by Chega.
Other initiatives include a support programme for Portuguese doctors living abroad who wish to return to Portugal to work in the Health Service, with tax and financial incentives in addition to immediate access to the Regressar Programme, and a proposal stipulating that the maximum period for the central administration to pay municipalities for delegated powers will be 60 days next year.
+++ IL +++
Only three proposals from the Liberal Initiative were approved: to support sports associations for people with disabilities; to exempt vehicles adapted by institutions from VAT; and to ensure exemption from Vehicle Tax for adapted cars belonging to non-profit sports associations and federations.
+++ Livre +++
Livre managed to pass 17 measures, one of which was the adoption of a new cycle of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy for the 2025-2028 triennium, supported by an action plan to ensure its monitoring.
There are also plans to achieve a ratio of one psychologist per 500 pupils in public schools, to define the definitive model for Independent Living Support in Portugal, and to develop a national strategy to combat poverty in the 2027-2030 cycle. An initiative to have the government resume negotiations with Spain to reactivate international night trains between Portugal and Spain was also approved.
+++ PCP +++
The communist bench approved 22 initiatives, including several for the government to implement infrastructure projects in various parts of the country, such as the modernisation of the Western railway line or the duplication of the IP3 between Coimbra and Santa Comba Dão.
Another communist initiative that received the green light puts pressure on the government to launch the Third Crossing of the Tagus, moving forward in 2026 with ‘the necessary measures to implement’ the road-rail link between Barreiro and Lisbon.
+++ BE +++
Eight proposals from the Left Bloc were approved, including one that requires the government to present a National Strategy for Menopause Rights in the first half of next year.
Another approved proposal ensures that, within six months, a multi-annual public investment plan for the autonomous regions will be created, specifying the value of each investment and the timetable for its implementation, allowing verification of the governments' compliance with investment in the islands.
+++ PAN +++
The PAN managed to pass 19 measures, including a proposal that requires parish councils to approve and implement, in 2026, ‘multi-year plans to promote the welfare of companion animals, in conjunction with municipal services and local animal welfare associations’.
+++ JPP +++
The JPP, which is new to the budget process but whose deputy did not participate in the detailed voting because he does not sit on this committee, only saw two proposals partially approved: bodycams and video surveillance in police facilities and in court buildings in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
MES/ADB // ADB.
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