In statements to the Lusa news agency, Luís Dias, a Socialist MP elected for the Évora constituency, indicated that this was one of the proposed amendments to the 2026 State Budget submitted by the PS to parliament last Friday.

"The Alentejo is a low-density territory with a high cost of living for residents and businesses; we don't even have a highly efficient public transport network, and there aren't many alternatives to commuting," he said.

This reality, the PS MP said, led the party's parliamentary group to make this amendment proposal to the 2026 State Budget to "promote territorial cohesion and reduce costs of living, both for residents and businesses."

"It's a measure that increases business competitiveness, giving companies more robustness and reducing their costs, and it eases the burden on family budgets, which, having to use the highway, face a very high cost," he emphasized.

The A6 motorway connects the Marateca area, in the municipality of Palmela, Setúbal district, and Caia, near Elvas and the border with Spain, in the Portalegre district, crossing several municipalities in the Évora district.

The A2 motorway connects the Marateca area to the Algarve, passing through several Alentejo municipalities in the Setúbal district and also the Beja district.

According to Luís Dias, this proposal to exempt tolls on the A6 motorway and on the sections of the A2 serving the Alentejo region "has a direct impact on the lives of 700,000 people and 90,000 companies" throughout the Alentejo region.

“If someone travels from Borba [Évora district] and enters the A6 towards Lisbon, they will only start paying tolls from the Marateca junction,” he exemplified, assuming that it will be “a very significant reduction in the cost of that trip.”

Referring to calculations made by fellow PS deputy and former Secretary of State for Infrastructure Frederico Francisco, the socialist parliamentarian elected for Évora specified that this measure has a cost of 10 million euros.

“It’s a very small cost, in terms of scale, within the State Budget, but for the Alentejo region, it will have a very significant impact, since companies and inhabitants of the Alentejo, as a whole, will reduce their costs by 10 million euros per year,” he emphasized.

Luís Dias emphasized that the proposal, if approved by parliament, must be implemented starting in April 2026, adding that the exemption will be applied through the Via Verde device associated with the vehicle's license plate.