The European Commission has launched infringement proceedings against Portugal, claiming the current system breaches EU rules by granting free access to Portuguese citizens and residents while excluding tourists from other member states from the same benefit.

Financial sustainability

Margarida Balseiro Lopes, Minister for Culture, confirmed this week that the Government is now considering changes to the scheme following discussions with Brussels, adding that any review would also take into account the long-term financial sustainability of Portugal’s museums and heritage sites.

The current “Acesso 52” programme, introduced in August 2024, allows Portuguese citizens and residents to visit state-run museums, monuments and palaces free of charge on up to 52 days each year, with visitors able to choose any day of the week.

This replaced an earlier initiative, launched in September 2023, which restricted free entry to Sundays and public holidays.

The European Commission first raised concerns in December 2024, arguing the policy discriminates against EU citizens living outside Portugal, while Brussels maintains that the rules are incompatible with the EU’s Services Directive and breach Article 56 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which guarantees equal access to services for citizens across member states.

According to the Commission, visitors from elsewhere in the bloc should be able to access Portuguese cultural attractions under the same conditions as Portuguese nationals and residents.

When the infringement procedure was first announced, the then Culture Minister Dalila Rodrigues defended the policy, saying the Government intended to maintain the free admission model while responding to the Commission within the required deadlines.

Public access

According to figures released by Museums and Monuments of Portugal (MPP), the public company responsible for managing many of the country’s national heritage sites, residents made 892,637 free visits under the Acesso 52 programme during 2025, proving the policy successful since its introduction.

Those admissions represented around 18 percent of the 4.84 million visits recorded across museums and moments that year.

The MPP also reported that, during the programme’s first year after its launch on 1 August 2024, more than 450,000 free visits were recorded throughout the 38 cultural sites under its management.

Furthermore, any changes to the scheme are expected to balance Portugal’s commitment to providing public access to its cultural heritage with compliance with European Union law and need to maintain sustainable funding for museums and historic sites.