Tiago Petinga / Lusa
The Minister of Education, Fernando Alexandre
The third day of voting on the State Budget, focused on health and education, ended with the largest number of proposals approved so far. The PCP led the opposition’s initiatives — which failed, with Chega’s change in vote, the Government’s intention to increase fees.
The value of higher education fees will stay frozen in the 2026/2027 academic year, a PS proposal that had initially been rejected in Parliament, and which ended up being approved after the Enough to have changed the voting direction.
The socialists’ proposal provides that the value of tuition fees “cannot be higher than the value set for the same study cycle in the 2025/2026 academic year”, thus remaining in line with the 697 euros.
The Government intended to unfreeze the value of tuition fees from next year, with a increase to 710 euros of the maximum value for degrees.
Although the measure is not explicitly foreseen in the proposed State Budget law for 2026 (OE2026) presented by the Government, the PS tried stop defrosting in specialty.
During the afternoon, the parliamentary majority rejected the intention of the socialists, but already in the final stretch of the work Chega announced the change in voting directionpassing the proposal.
In 2016, parliament approved the freeze of the maximum bribe, at the time as proposed by the PCP within the scope of the State Budget for 2017. The value was then fixed at 1,067.85 euros, having suffered successive reductionsand since 2020/2021 it has been at 697 euros.
Parliament also voted on an initiative by the PSD and CDS-PP that proposed index the increase in tuition fees to the inflation rateclarifying the executive’s intention, but the proposal was rejected by the opposition.
The possibility of unfreezing tuition fees from 2026 was raised, for the first time, in January by the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation and confirmed in September, when Fernando Alexandre announced the increase to 710 euros within the scope of OE2026.
Almost 70 proposals approved
In the votes this Monday, the third day of voting, parliament approved 67 proposals amendment to the State Budget for 2026.
The parties that support the Government, PSD and CDS-PP, saw 11 proposals approvedincluding the one that provides for the Government to advance the procedures for award new public-private partnerships (PPP) in the National Health Service (SNS).
The PS, which saw eight initiatives receive the ‘green light’approved a health support program for Portuguese doctors residents abroad who wish to return to Portugal to work in the SNS, with tax incentives and financial resources in addition to immediate access to the Regressar Program.
Another measure was also approved to reinforce the daycare network with opening hours and conditions adapted to the needs of healthcare professionals.
On the opposition side, the PCP was the party that managed to validate the most proposals changes, with 15 in total. The communist bench saw several initiatives approved for the Government to implement infrastructures in various parts of the countrysuch as the modernization of the Oeste railway line or the duplication of the IP3 between Coimbra and Santa Comba Dão.
Another communist initiative that received the ‘green light’ pressure the government to launch the Third Tagus Crossingmoving forward in 2026 with “the necessary measures to complete” the road-rail connection between Barreiro and Lisbon.
Already Livre saw 10 changes approvedone of them so that the executive can resume negotiations with Spain to reactivate Portugal-Spain international night trains.
By initiative of Livrethe Government will have to design next year the national strategy for fight against poverty for the cycle from 2027 to 2030, which must include objectives and indicators to be achieved, namely to reduce the “risk of poverty rate”.
O PAN managed to validate nine measuresincluding two proposals on corruption, to include mandatory attendance content oriented towards the prevention and detection of corruption in the formation of Public Administration.
From Chega, eight proposals were approvednamely one of reducing the VAT on artwork transactions from 23% to 6%as well as creating a mental health check when the NHS is unable to meet maximum response times in psychiatry or psychology.
Chega also managed to approve a measure for the Government to provide local health units (ULS) with the technical and financial means to charge costs for health care provided to foreigners non-residents who do not have coverage through insurance, protocol or international agreement.
From BE only three measures were approved: the reopening of the Douro Line between Pocinho and Barca d’Alva or the dredging in Caminha, Viana, Esposende, Póvoa de Varzim, Vila do Conde and Matosinhos were changes that were included in the document.
O JPP saw the first proposals to be approved in this OE2026, even if only in part, while the Liberal Initiative only managed to validate one.
