During the general debate on the 2026 State Budget (OE2026), JPP’s sole deputy, Filipe Sousa, questioned the government regarding what he described as an “excessive concentration of investments and decisions in major urban centers,” urging the prime minister to ensure “real equality of opportunities in accessing resources concerning public investment.”
Subsequently, Filipe Sousa requested Luís Montenegro to explain how he plans to ensure that the economic growth strategy does not lead to “cuts or delays in essential investments, namely in health, housing, and Social Security, penalizing the populations.”
“The Government has created a working group to study the reform of Social Security. Can the prime minister assure that this reform does not include any structural changes leading to the privatization of Social Security?” he questioned.
In response, Luís Montenegro highlighted that it was a previous socialist administration that “opened the discussion on a future Social Security review and sustainability analysis,” and reminded that it was the PS that left the “green book,” now under review by a working group.
“The content is naturally being studied. We have no intention, let me be very clear, to privatize Social Security. This is a repeated discussion, but it is merely political rhetoric, nothing more,” he added.
Addressing the situation of the autonomous regions, Luís Montenegro stated that the budget proposal “gives special consideration” to the islands and “their specificities,” particularly in financial matters.
“We have ensured the Autonomous Region of the Azores the capability to execute the entire PRR through an extraordinary transfer, while for Madeira, we have addressed a less favorable nuance of the current Regional Finance Law, which initially implied no transfers under the Cohesion Fund,” explaining that for Madeira, a legal “anachronism” was addressed.
Luís Montenegro also responded to Filipe Sousa regarding mobility on the islands, noting that a platform is being finalized to “facilitate citizens’ lives by accelerating the public entities’ share payment of travel expenses.”
