During the general debate on the 2026 State Budget in the National Assembly, Inês de Sousa Real, the spokesperson and sole deputy of PAN, questioned Prime Minister Luís Montenegro about an alleged “890 million euro cut in housing support, 11 million euros in the rehabilitation of public properties,” as well as reductions in “responses for victims of domestic violence and homeless people.”
While acknowledging that “the budget is not sufficient for everything,” the PAN leader argued that it is necessary to make “political choices,” criticizing the government for “remaining insensitive” by not reducing VAT on food and animal health.
“This is a matter of political choice and, in our view, it is wrong. Lowering the VAT on animal health costs 16 million euros. It is perfectly manageable within the right accounts that I have been referring to,” she stated.
The PAN leader also advocated for more support to attract professionals to the National Health Service (SNS), such as extending the hours of the “Creche Feliz” network to support night-shift workers, and lamented what she described as a devaluation of environmental protection.
“We have cuts of 9 million euros in the ICNF (Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests), and we also have a cut in the climate budget of 250 million euros,” she lamented, concluding her speech by calling for increased funding for firefighter associations.
In response, the Prime Minister said he wanted “to refer some of the matters raised by Sousa Real to the detailed process,” adding that “he does not wish to close the door to converging positions, especially since PAN is one of the political forces that has shown willingness to align on some proposals.”
Concerning the support for victims of domestic violence and homeless individuals, Luís Montenegro promised updates “very soon,” noting that they would relate “to another proposal that had previously been included in budgets regarding a housing fund” proposed “by an opposition party.”
Regarding ICNF and housing, Montenegro assured “that there are no cuts,” explaining that “often what is reflected in the budgets are investments that are concluding and do not extend over multiple fiscal years.”
“This does not signify cuts; it means that while we are operating under European financial frameworks, particularly the PRR, there might be specific program figures that fluctuate, but this does not indicate a withdrawal of funds from a political commitment to a particular sector,” he elaborated.
