OE2027? “No reforms, no investment. It is Portugal to mark step”

Jcotrim de Figueiredo commented, on Sunday night, the feasibility of the state budget for 2027, which should be made possible by the possible abstention of the Socialist Party. “This week it was known that it is viable. The PSD fulfilled the four conditions that were already being requested from a month ago this part by José Luís Carneiro and so we will have Budget ", started by saying.

The liberal questions, however, on the antenna of SIC Notícias, if this will mean that “we will have a whole year of peace”, answering the question itself: “I don’t know”.

“ The economic situation will be difficult, the social situation we have seen – and Paulo Raimundo has already said it several times in recent days – there will be a lot of challenge on the streets, so it will not be an easy year. But at least at budgetary level, we will have a budget for next year,” he said.

For Cotrim Figueiredo, “very little” is known about the budget proposal, only what “Government shared with the parties two weeks ago”. It has “an unbelievable macroeconomic scenario of growth of 2%, when the IMF and the European Commission anticipate that it will pass a little of 1.5% and that it is already a downward review of what AD’s promises had been, but I think it will be worse,” he said.

“ Not only because the world's economic situation is different, but because the RRP funds, which contributed between 0.6 and 0.7% to GDP, will end. A surplus of 0.1/0.2% is also expected, which means that one does not invest and that one has made the famous captivations ", elaborated.

Cotrim de Figueiredo also warned that, although “very little is known”, there is already an “increase in committed expenditure of almost EUR 5 billion”. “Why is this important? Because this is the limit that in the new Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), revised in 2024. Each country negotiates with the EU what can increase public expenditure. Portugal has 3.4%, which will give exactly this 5 billion euros,” he said.

“ Between pensions, wages, progressions, social security and debt interest (which will rise) is almost this EUR 5 billion. So there's no room for anything anymore. Another budget without reform, another budget without investment. It is Portugal to mark step”.

It should be remembered that last week, PS Secretary General José Luís Carneiro announced that he will propose to the party bodies the abstention in the vote on the State Budget for 2027 after the guarantees that were left by the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro. If the party bodies approve this abstention of the PS, the document will be made available, regardless of the votes of the other benches.