Montenegro presents budget with surplus and 4.8 billion in spending pressure
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Prime Minister Luís Montenegro presented his 2027 budget today, a document that forecasts 2% growth and a slim surplus. The government expects to achieve this despite a 4.8 billion euro pressure from higher pensions, public sector wages, and the minimum wage. Meanwhile, the Bank of Portugal has noted that fuel subsidies are proving difficult to remove and the opposition continues to demand zero VAT and rent controls.
Health sector reforms are expected to follow the budget, including a restructuring of the National Health Service's executive directorate and a merger of the health department with the national health institute. The current head of the service is unlikely to remain in his post after the shuffle.
The army has declared climate change a matter of national security, while in the courts, footage has been released showing a man attempting a Molotov cocktail attack on a March for Life demonstration outside parliament. The device's fuse was lit, but failed to ignite the crowd.