Antonio Pedro Santos / LUSA
The Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, speaks during the plenary session at the Assembly of the Republic
Measures are valid until June. Luís Montenegro expects a European guiding framework and also addressed the labor package in the debate.
The Prime Minister announced this Wednesday a compensation of 25 euros for the solidarity gas cylinder and a discount mechanism for professional diesel for the next three months in view of the impact of the war in the Middle East.
Luis Montenegro was speaking during the fortnightly debate in the Assembly of the Republic where he announced that the Council of Ministers will approve measures on Thursday “price limitation in a situation of energy crisis” and “protecting vulnerable consumers with guaranteed minimum supply”.
The Prime Minister assured that “the Government is sensitive to the impact of the increase in fuel prices on the lives of the Portuguese” and will monitor developments in the international situation.
“It is in this spirit that I announce here the decision we have made to, firstly, increase the contribution to 25 euros in the solidarity gas cylinder for the next three months”, he stated.
Secondly, he said, the Government will introduce “a extraordinary mechanism for professional dieselfor passenger and freight companies, which will correspond to a additional discount in the form of a refund of 10 cents per liter up to 15 thousand liters per vehicle and also for the next three months”
“Thirdly and fourthly, permanently, legislation which was already being prepared and which also has applicability in these circumstances”, he said.
The Prime Minister also hopes that in the European Council on Thursday it is possible to adopt “a guiding framework” for energy crises, which may include activating the European crisis management mechanism or allowing an exceptional state aid regime.
Carneiro’s criticisms
In the same debate, shortly afterwards, the PS leader pointed out that taxes and fees on fuel are currently higher than in April 2025, when Luís Montenegro took over the government, challenging the prime minister to extend the discount on bottled gas.
“The measures adopted for the tax on petroleum products do not cover the increase in fuel prices as a result of inflation resulting from the war in the Middle East. (…) The news is this: today taxes and fees on fuel costs are higher than the fees and taxes of April 2024when the Prime Minister took on government responsibilities”, he said José Luís Carneiro to Luís Montenegro.
After the Prime Minister announced the contribution of 25 euros in the solidarity gas cylinder, the PS secretary general said that there are 2.5 million families who are affected by the costs of that essential good and who are left out of this support.
Employment package
Luís Montenegro stated that the Government “will really do everything and exhaust all possibilities” to reach an agreement in social consultation on the labor reform, before taking it to the Assembly of the Republic.
“The government will bring a proposal to change the labor law to this assembly, it will if there is no agreement. But it will do everything, it will do everything, it will exhaust all possibilities so that it reaches the Assembly of the Republic with an agreement signed in the context of social consultation”, he said, in response to questions asked by the leader of the Liberal Initiative (IL), Mariana Leitão.
Montenegro added that “this is what is happeningmoreover, with a sense of balance, of adherence to reality, of placing the economy within the range of those economies that are attractive due to all competitiveness factors and also due to work dynamics”.
At the beginning of the debate, the head of Government had announced that “soon” the labor reform proposal will reach parliament. The Prime Minister rejected accusations of the Government’s lack of availability for dialogue, saying that negotiations continue with social partners and argued that the executive’s proposal on the table is “practically new” in relation to the initial one.
