Council of Ministers approves the draft State Budget for 2026

The Government approved today the draft State Budget for 2026, announced the Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro at the Council of Ministers briefing in Lisbon. The proposal will be delivered in Parliament until Friday 10 October following the presentation of the macroeconomic setting by the Minister of Finance Joaquim Miranda Sarmento to the parties represented in Parliament.

At the same meeting, the Council of Ministers appointed Manuel Dias director of the Public Administration Information Technologies System at ARTE – the Agency for Technological Reform. The Minister of the Presidency stressed that this is "a key position in the purpose, aim, ad path towards the State reform in its digitalisation component", noting this electrotechnical engineer’s experience and knowledge.

The Council of Ministers also formalised the appointment of Álvaro Santos Pereira as the new governor of the Portuguese Central Bank following a positive review by Parliament’s Budget, Finance and Public Administration Commission, issued on 25 September. The economist will take office at the start of next week.