CFP accuses Government of “brutal cut” in public investment

“ O country cannot accept a brutal cut of more than 30% in public investment, which can be even higher if the low levels of execution of recent years are maintained,” said Paula Santos at a press conference in the Assembly of the Republic.

For the Communist leader, the court, which “cannot be explained only by the end of the PRR [Recovery and Resilience Program]”, “leaves hundreds of schools unretrieving and building, hospitals and health centers, roads, railway and forest for caring and public equipment and infrastructure long claimed and promised that drag year after year”.

Paula Santos argued that public investment in Portugal “cannot only be based on community funds”.

“ And this circumstance, in which next year there will be no RRP, makes it clear in fact the very low level of public investment that is made in our country from a number of years ago,” he said, regretting that several investments would go from proposal to budget proposal “without leaving the role”.

The party's Secretary-General, Paulo Raimundo, has already announced that the CFP will vote against the budget proposal, unlike the PS, which should abstain, which motivated criticism by Mrs Paula Santos.

“ As much as the PS tries to give, the feasibility of this budget, for the third consecutive year, not only makes it complicit of the national disaster policy that is under way, but it allows the Aquira and the IL to continue to pretend opposition to a policy with which they are committed”, he criticized.

Asked whether she still expects a change of position from the PS, Paula Santos said that the party led by José Luís Carneiro “will assume its own positions”, without fail to point out a contradiction.

The parliamentary leader recalled that about two weeks ago PSD, CDS-PP and Aquida generally approved the new lease law, criticized by the socialist bench, which already demanded the executive to drop the agreement with the party of André Ventura.

“ But the PS, by making this budget possible, is enabling and enabling the implementation of this policy, such as this example, but we could give many examples here that are indeed a disaster that has led to the degradation of living conditions”, he argued.

In this statement, Paula Santos pointed to the Government investment failures in several areas, from the National Health Service, Higher Education (with the defrosting of tuition fees), as well as in housing or transport, also criticizing the predicted values for the National Minimum Salary or for the updating of pensions, at a time when the executive anticipates a positive balance in Social Security.

“There is, contrary to what the government says, no budgetary prudence against future risks. What this proposal carries is the risk of a significant deterioration of living conditions, public services and economic activity in our country. The country’s risk is not that of “falling into the deficit,” but that of thousands of Portuguese people falling into poverty, debt and material deprivation situations that are unacceptable,” Paula Santos criticized.

She referred to the presentation of amendments for the coming weeks.

Parliament will generally discuss the state budget proposal for 2027 to 27 and 28 October, with the overall final vote scheduled for November 24.

[News updated at 3:41 p.m.]