António Leitão Amaro addressed the Parliament during the specialized consideration of the State Budget proposal for 2026 (OE2026) in a joint hearing of the committees on Culture, Communication, Youth and Sports, and Budget, Finance and Public Administration.
“We must also evaluate measures that are already being implemented,” referring to the Action Plan for the Media, stating, “one example is the free youth subscription program, a well-intentioned idea supporting demand rather than supply, aiming to attract new audiences.” However, he noted, “what we concluded after a few months is that the number of youth subscriptions was about 4,500. We need to consider and ask why, with such a program, more young people are not interested even when it is free.”
“Is the issue the program itself? Is it the content? What can we do to find solutions that support and promote financial sustainability, respect freedom and independence, and achieve the ideal of a strong and free press in Portugal,” he concluded.
