The deadline for young individuals born in 2005 and 2006 to request and use book vouchers, valued at 20 euros, was initially set to end today. This affects an estimated group of 220,000 individuals.
An evaluation of the program conducted by the Directorate-General for Books, Archives, and Libraries (DGLAB) showed that by Tuesday, the day before the deadline, “44,959 book vouchers had been issued, with 34,442 being used.”
This indicates a low utilization rate compared to potential estimates, as only 20% of the vouchers were issued and 15% redeemed, leaving over 185,000 vouchers unused.
“Given that the measure can still benefit its potential beneficiaries, many of whom are currently attending secondary and post-secondary education, it is justified to extend the deadline to a date after the end of the school year to reach a greater number of effective beneficiaries,” explained a statement from the Secretary of State for Culture, Alberto Santos.
The regulation for the book voucher program, created by an ordinance in March 2024, initially required the vouchers to be used by September 30, 2024. This date was later extended to April 23 following delays in developing the voucher issuance platform.
The program officially commenced on October 31.
During the first month, 30,000 book vouchers were issued, with over 11,000 being distributed within the first two days. From early December to the beginning of March this year, only an additional 10,000 vouchers were issued, bringing the total to 40,000.
Miguel Pauseiro, president of the Portuguese Association of Publishers and Booksellers (APEL), acknowledged in an interview that the measure fell “short of expectations” and that APEL was collaborating closely with the Ministry of Culture and DGLAB “to diagnose problems and find solutions to accelerate its execution.”
Pauseiro identified the voucher value as a hindrance to the program’s success, noting that it was “far from” the 100 euros proposed by APEL, which he believed was “a compatible value with the goal of creating readers.”
“Readers aren’t created by purchasing one book, but by developing a consistent reading habit, which involves more than a single purchase,” he argued at the time.
The APEL president also stressed the importance of enhancing communication with young people to stimulate participation and streamlining access to the book vouchers, as operational difficulties such as the requirement for a digital mobile key were identified.
According to the new order from the Secretary of State, the deadline for using the book voucher program is now extended to July 15, 2025.
