New Year, new mindset

In an opinion article published in Jornal de Notícias newspaper, the Prime Minister stresses that Portugal is going through a decisive moment that requires a choice with long-lasting effects on the country’s future: not sticking to doing enough, rather striving for excellence and transforming the stability achieved into concrete results for the Portuguese people.

Luís Montenegro notes that today Portugal presents solid justifications for this new cycle with consistent economic growth above the Euro Area and the European Union, political and financial stability, qualified human resources, innovation capacity, greater energy autonomy and a trajectory to increase wages together with a lower tax burden.

According to the Prime Minister, these conditions create an opportunity that cannot go to waste, yet they require a clear attitude shift. A results-oriented mindset focused on the essential and capable to taking on discerning decisions to boost the economy’s competitiveness and create value.

In this context, the Prime Minister is adamant in claiming there is no room for fear in the political choices necessary for the country’s growth. Less taxes, more simplification in procedures and greater labour flexibility are indicated as fundamental prerequisites to ensure productivity, create better jobs, and ensure decent wages, ensuring the sustainability of economic growth and the Social State.

The article underlines that this path of structural reforms is indispensable to foster virtuous economic growth, capable of generating more wealth, boost qualified employment and consolidate social justice, the fight against poverty, and the Portuguese people’s well-being.

Luís Montenegro also stresses that 2026 opens a new political horizon, with the closing of a prolonged electoral cycle and the creation of stability conditions up to 2029, which reinforces the collective responsibility of materialising a transformative agenda for the country.

In this text, the Prime Minister reiterates the Government’s commitment to keep acting on the accumulated constraints in fundamental areas such as healthcare, education, housing, and immigration, with a particular focus on youths, pensioners and retirees, the middle classes, and public administration workers.

To conclude, the Prime Minister notes that Portugal’s future depends on the capacity to focus on what is essential, to believe more in the country and to transform stability and confidence into lasting growth, prosperity, and social justice.