The Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, emphasized that Tuesday marked a “significant day for Portugal and the entire Portuguese community,” following the general approval of the State Budget proposal for 2026, as well as the approval of “a new” Nationality Law.
“Today is a significant day for Portugal and the whole Portuguese community. A day that defines national life for the coming years. The Assembly of the Republic has approved, in general, the Government’s proposal for the State Budget for 2026. And just now, it approved by a large majority a new Nationality Law,” he stated, speaking to journalists at Palácio de São Bento in Lisbon.
The Prime Minister noted that “these approvals demonstrate that the Government is here to unite and not to divide” and “is capable of leading commitments for national interest”.
“The approval of the State Budget is essential for ensuring political, economic, and social stability,” he said, adding that the budget represents “economic growth, income growth, social justice, tangible solutions to many problems affecting people’s lives, and the consolidation of a financial balance ensuring the reduction of public debt with fewer taxes and more investments.”
Luís Montenegro reiterated that “Portugal is growing, and it is growing more than the European Union,” also highlighting that the Budget “further opens hope for young Portuguese to find a future” in the country.
“The parties with greater parliamentary representation now have the increased responsibility to make their contributions—just like everyone else—but particularly, they bear the responsibility not to undermine the budget or jeopardize the virtuous course of public accounts,” he stated.
The head of Government repeated that “the margin for budgetary changes is, in this circumstance, very short, given all the challenges we face politically and financially in the coming year.”
“Today, Portugal is a beacon of political, social, and financial stability, and this stability is one of the main factors of national competitiveness, which deserves the attention and sense of responsibility of everyone to continue generating trust in the national and international context,” he appealed.
The Government’s State Budget proposal for 2026, it should be recalled, was approved on Tuesday, with votes in favor from PSD and CDS-PP and abstentions from PS, PAN, and JPP. Chega, IL, Livre, PCP, and BE voted against the PSD/CDS-PP Government proposal.
“Being Portuguese is an honor. We do not want occasional Portuguese”
“In recent years, Portugal followed an uncontrolled immigration policy with consequences and challenges that everyone feels and with which we will have to deal for a long time. To resolve the serious situation that was created, we have been implementing a structural reform both in immigration and also in the Nationality Law,” said Luís Montenegro regarding the approval of the Nationality Law proposal in Parliament.
The Executive leader stated that the Government ended “the regime of expression of interests that flung open the doors of our country.” “We created the Foreigners and Borders Unit to address the institutional failure caused by the extinction of the Immigration and Borders Service, resolving hundreds of thousands of pending processes,” he highlighted.
“We presented and saw approved a new Foreigners Law. Today, the Assembly of the Republic just approved the Government’s proposal to amend the Nationality Law, which it did, through a qualified majority, of about 70% of the deputies present,” he noted.
The Prime Minister also stressed that “soon,” the “Return Law” will be presented, in order to have “a repatriation mechanism that simultaneously offers dignity, efficiency, and improves recovery with countries of origin of immigrants who do not respect established rules.”
“We will continue to strengthen humanistic integration measures and attract qualified talent that adds value, innovation, and a future to Portugal,” he noted.
“In the face of chaos, we are restoring order. In the face of inertia, we are acting. In the face of crisis, we choose to reform to solve, and we do so by restoring the balance between welcome and demand, between humanist integration and effective regulation, with deliberation, moderation, but also with firmness,” he emphasized.
The head of Government highlighted that the Government’s proposal to amend the Nationality Law “is a balanced solution”: “This is our firm conviction”.
“This law defines who we are, what we value, and the country we will leave to those who follow us. Nationality is a recognition of a profound bond and should not be trivialized. To dignify it is to dignify every Portuguese person and every person who, fulfilling fair and demanding criteria, may one day be one of us,” he stressed.
And he added: “Being Portuguese is not a mere formality or convenience. Being Portuguese is an honor and a responsibility. To work in Portugal, one does not need to be Portuguese, but to be Portuguese requires much more than working in Portugal”.
Luís Montenegro emphasized that the Nationality Law “restores the requirement and fulfills Portugal,” affirming the country’s “sovereignty,” as well as “cohesion and identity.”
He further stated that “this law demands integration time,” as well as the “knowledge” of the Portuguese language and culture, “effective connection to Portugal, adherence to our essential values and respect for the most fundamental rules of communal life.”
“We do not want occasional Portuguese people, and therefore, I repeat, we have strengthened the knowledge requirements of the language, culture, history, and national symbols, as well as the rights and duties inherent to Portuguese nationality”, he affirmed.
The Prime Minister also stressed that, with the State Budget and changes to the Nationality Law, the country is taking “firm steps to build a more prosperous and fairer Portugal.”
Chega, IL, and CDS approve the revision of the Nationality Law in final vote
Note that the amendments to the Nationality Law, originating from a Government proposal, were approved on Tuesday in the final global vote by PSD/CDS, Chega, and Iniciativa Liberal, surpassing the required absolute majority, 116 out of 230 deputies.
As announced on Friday, during the process of revising the Nationality Law in the specialty, in the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, PS, Livre, Bloco de Esquerda, PAN, and PCP voted against. The JPP deputy Filipe Sousa voted in favor.
The amendments to the Nationality Law, originating from a Government proposal, were today approved in the final global vote by PSD/CDS, Chega, and IL, surpassing the required absolute majority, 116 out of 230 deputies.
Lusa | 21:48 – 28/10/2025
It should be noted that after the approval of the Nationality Law proposal in Parliament, the document will be sent to Palácio de Belém for analysis by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
[Updated news at 22:23]
